The Chronicle: “John Braun: Legislators can learn from Pierce County’s bipartisan effort on homelessness”
December 6, 2024
Commentary by Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia
Read the full article below or on The Chronicle’s website.
Of all the public policy issues legislators wrestle with, the issue of chronic homelessness is easily among the most frustrating.
It’s frustrating to think of all the billions of tax dollars that have been spent on a myriad of programs intended to reduce homelessness in our state, without an appropriate return on that huge investment.
The issue is even more challenging now than it was just a few years ago because of the Legislature’s failed drug-decriminalization experiment. That made the homelessness crisis immeasurably worse, especially in Washington’s urban communities.
But instead of going on about the many flaws in state government’s approach to addressing chronic homelessness, I would rather put a spotlight on a local approach that gives me hope, during this season of hope.
It’s called the Good Neighbor Village (GNV), and will be constructed in the Spanaway Lake area of Pierce County. The groundbreaking ceremony took place Nov. 21.
The GNV is the product of a unique public-private partnership between Pierce County and the Tacoma Rescue Mission. It is modeled on the Community First! Village in Austin, Texas.
Two of my former Senate Republican colleagues took the lead on this for Pierce County: county executive Bruce Dammeier and Steve O’Ban. But even more exciting to me, Democrats and Republicans on the county council joined together to support this solution.
The vision of these villages is to empower people to be good neighbors, in a literal sense, with those who are chronically homeless — people who have lived more than a year, sometimes decades, on the streets.
These people were often driven to the streets by addictions, mental illness, other disabilities, or a combination of those conditions. Pierce County has approximately 900 chronically homeless residents, nearly 125 of whom are military veterans.
Having no suitable housing options, they are the people we see living in the rights-of-way, parks, and doorways — the “visible homeless,” as former Sen. O’Ban puts it.
Many of the chronically homeless have lost the basic skills necessary to work and even socially interact with others. The model for the GNV seeks to restore those skills by creating a community in which formerly homeless people and their new neighbors all live in tiny homes.
In a sense, the village will act as the social safety net which so many chronically homeless people have lost, because bridges to family members and friends have been burned.
The feeling of community offered by the GNV approach is what seems to separate it most from the “housing first” strategy advocated elsewhere in our state. An example of the latter is the Partnership for Zero project in King County that collapsed in September 2023, less than 18 months after it launched.
The flaws of the housing-first approach are exposed in a raw, unflinching way in a recently released documentary, “Behind Closed Doors.” It was produced by the partnership of ChangeWashington and filmmaker V Ginny Burton, and is easily found through an internet search for the title and filmmaker’s name.
The interviews featured throughout the film reveal how most residents of several Seattle housing projects continue to use illegal drugs, violence is an everyday occurrence, and staff has no ability to help those who seek addiction or mental health treatment.
The film also explores how housing-first policies are a huge drain on government resources, including law enforcement.
Amazingly, the state’s Homeless Housing Strategic Plan for 2024-2029, which was quietly released by the Department of Commerce on Sept. 1, clings to the idea that the cost of housing and lack of housing in our state are the key drivers of homelessness.
The plan criticizes the “criminalization” of homelessness — meaning the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson that allows communities to enforce rules against camping and sleeping in public.
However, the plan goes out of its way to downplay any connection between substance use and homelessness, or mental health and homelessness. Income inequity, systemic racism and natural hazards made the list of “structural pressures” that influence the risk of homelessness, but not substance use or mental illness.
If simply sheltering someone was the answer, you have to ask why King County was so quick to pull the plug on the Partnership for Zero, especially after the King County executive repeatedly promised it would help formerly homeless people get their lives back.
The GNV plan in Pierce County is for 285 microhomes, common buildings and a farm. Behavioral-health treatment, and drug and alcohol treatment will be provided. Vocational and recreational activities will be offered.
But most of all, the village approach offers something less tangible, which the housing-first approach clearly seems to lack: the opportunity, as one of my former Senate colleagues puts it, to live in a community that offers dignity, accountability, and hope — and feel like a human being again.
If all of this sounds too good to be true, know that getting it off the ground was a challenge. In Austin, three sites were opposed by surrounding communities because of fear that bad experiences might follow. But finally, a location was found.
Pierce County and the Tacoma Rescue Mission initially identified four potential sites for the Good Neighbor Village. The one they chose is in the middle of an area with a significant chronic homelessness problem. Nearly 70% of the 191 encampments Pierce County cleaned up between 2019 and this past year — at a cost of $1.07 million — were in the Spanaway area or neighboring Parkland.
Fear of the unknown caused some around the future Pierce County village to protest as well. Their objection was not to the concept, but to the location — and their apprehension is totally understandable.
However, just as the Community First! Village in Austin won its neighbors over, I’m willing to bet Pierce County’s commitment to excellence will ensure the Good Neighbor Village is a good neighbor to other residents of the Spanaway-Parkland area.
In fact, former Senator O’Ban says the county and Tacoma Rescue Mission agreed the first 50 microhomes would be set aside for homeless people from the immediate area.
There is no question the issue of chronic homelessness, as frustrating as it is, will again be high on the legislative agenda in 2025.
Considering what we know about the Good Neighbor Village effort in Pierce County, versus the failures of the housing-first approach, this would be a good time to revisit the state’s approach to addressing chronic homelessness.
Instead of focusing on how much money there is to spend, let’s talk about how the money is spent. I am reluctant to pour even more money into programs and services that pretend addictions and mental illness are not major drivers of chronic homelessness.
I would rather look at investing in a housing model that is honest about the causes of chronic homelessness and responds to them in a way that offers real hope to our homeless neighbors. That’s how we can make our state better.
In the News
/in NewsThe Chronicle: “John Braun: Legislators can learn from Pierce County’s bipartisan effort on homelessness”
December 6, 2024
Commentary by Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia
Read the full article below or on The Chronicle’s website.
Of all the public policy issues legislators wrestle with, the issue of chronic homelessness is easily among the most frustrating.
It’s frustrating to think of all the billions of tax dollars that have been spent on a myriad of programs intended to reduce homelessness in our state, without an appropriate return on that huge investment.
The issue is even more challenging now than it was just a few years ago because of the Legislature’s failed drug-decriminalization experiment. That made the homelessness crisis immeasurably worse, especially in Washington’s urban communities.
But instead of going on about the many flaws in state government’s approach to addressing chronic homelessness, I would rather put a spotlight on a local approach that gives me hope, during this season of hope.
It’s called the Good Neighbor Village (GNV), and will be constructed in the Spanaway Lake area of Pierce County. The groundbreaking ceremony took place Nov. 21.
The GNV is the product of a unique public-private partnership between Pierce County and the Tacoma Rescue Mission. It is modeled on the Community First! Village in Austin, Texas.
Two of my former Senate Republican colleagues took the lead on this for Pierce County: county executive Bruce Dammeier and Steve O’Ban. But even more exciting to me, Democrats and Republicans on the county council joined together to support this solution.
The vision of these villages is to empower people to be good neighbors, in a literal sense, with those who are chronically homeless — people who have lived more than a year, sometimes decades, on the streets.
These people were often driven to the streets by addictions, mental illness, other disabilities, or a combination of those conditions. Pierce County has approximately 900 chronically homeless residents, nearly 125 of whom are military veterans.
Having no suitable housing options, they are the people we see living in the rights-of-way, parks, and doorways — the “visible homeless,” as former Sen. O’Ban puts it.
Many of the chronically homeless have lost the basic skills necessary to work and even socially interact with others. The model for the GNV seeks to restore those skills by creating a community in which formerly homeless people and their new neighbors all live in tiny homes.
In a sense, the village will act as the social safety net which so many chronically homeless people have lost, because bridges to family members and friends have been burned.
The feeling of community offered by the GNV approach is what seems to separate it most from the “housing first” strategy advocated elsewhere in our state. An example of the latter is the Partnership for Zero project in King County that collapsed in September 2023, less than 18 months after it launched.
The flaws of the housing-first approach are exposed in a raw, unflinching way in a recently released documentary, “Behind Closed Doors.” It was produced by the partnership of ChangeWashington and filmmaker V Ginny Burton, and is easily found through an internet search for the title and filmmaker’s name.
The interviews featured throughout the film reveal how most residents of several Seattle housing projects continue to use illegal drugs, violence is an everyday occurrence, and staff has no ability to help those who seek addiction or mental health treatment.
The film also explores how housing-first policies are a huge drain on government resources, including law enforcement.
Amazingly, the state’s Homeless Housing Strategic Plan for 2024-2029, which was quietly released by the Department of Commerce on Sept. 1, clings to the idea that the cost of housing and lack of housing in our state are the key drivers of homelessness.
The plan criticizes the “criminalization” of homelessness — meaning the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson that allows communities to enforce rules against camping and sleeping in public.
However, the plan goes out of its way to downplay any connection between substance use and homelessness, or mental health and homelessness. Income inequity, systemic racism and natural hazards made the list of “structural pressures” that influence the risk of homelessness, but not substance use or mental illness.
If simply sheltering someone was the answer, you have to ask why King County was so quick to pull the plug on the Partnership for Zero, especially after the King County executive repeatedly promised it would help formerly homeless people get their lives back.
The GNV plan in Pierce County is for 285 microhomes, common buildings and a farm. Behavioral-health treatment, and drug and alcohol treatment will be provided. Vocational and recreational activities will be offered.
But most of all, the village approach offers something less tangible, which the housing-first approach clearly seems to lack: the opportunity, as one of my former Senate colleagues puts it, to live in a community that offers dignity, accountability, and hope — and feel like a human being again.
If all of this sounds too good to be true, know that getting it off the ground was a challenge. In Austin, three sites were opposed by surrounding communities because of fear that bad experiences might follow. But finally, a location was found.
Pierce County and the Tacoma Rescue Mission initially identified four potential sites for the Good Neighbor Village. The one they chose is in the middle of an area with a significant chronic homelessness problem. Nearly 70% of the 191 encampments Pierce County cleaned up between 2019 and this past year — at a cost of $1.07 million — were in the Spanaway area or neighboring Parkland.
Fear of the unknown caused some around the future Pierce County village to protest as well. Their objection was not to the concept, but to the location — and their apprehension is totally understandable.
However, just as the Community First! Village in Austin won its neighbors over, I’m willing to bet Pierce County’s commitment to excellence will ensure the Good Neighbor Village is a good neighbor to other residents of the Spanaway-Parkland area.
In fact, former Senator O’Ban says the county and Tacoma Rescue Mission agreed the first 50 microhomes would be set aside for homeless people from the immediate area.
There is no question the issue of chronic homelessness, as frustrating as it is, will again be high on the legislative agenda in 2025.
Considering what we know about the Good Neighbor Village effort in Pierce County, versus the failures of the housing-first approach, this would be a good time to revisit the state’s approach to addressing chronic homelessness.
Instead of focusing on how much money there is to spend, let’s talk about how the money is spent. I am reluctant to pour even more money into programs and services that pretend addictions and mental illness are not major drivers of chronic homelessness.
I would rather look at investing in a housing model that is honest about the causes of chronic homelessness and responds to them in a way that offers real hope to our homeless neighbors. That’s how we can make our state better.
In the News
/in NewsThe Daily, New York Times Podcast: “The Texas Village Rethinking Homelessness”
December 6, 2024
Hosted by Michael Barbaro and Sabrina Tavernise
The Good Neighbor Village is modeled after the Community First! Village in Austin, Texas – “the nation’s biggest and boldest efforts to confront the crisis of chronic homelessness” according to The Daily.
Lucy Tompkins, a national reporter for The Times, takes us inside the multimillion-dollar experiment, to understand its promise and peril.
Listen to the full podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. You can also listen to the episode and read the transcript on The Times’ website.
In the News
/in NewsKIRO 7 News: “Good Neighbor Village in Spanaway breaks ground, residents raise concerns”
December 04, 2024
By Brandon Thomas, KIRO 7 News
SPANAWAY, Wash. — The construction of the Good Neighbor Village in Spanaway has drawn concern from some citizens as construction begins.
When finished, 285 cottage homes will house Pierce County’s “chronically homeless.” Duke Paulson, the executive director of the Tacoma Rescue Mission leading the project, said it will be enough to house more than 25% of the County’s homeless population.
“Typically [it’s] where you’ve been homeless for so long or you’re elderly enough that you’re not going to be able go get a job, you’re not going to be able to rent an apartment again, your other option is to basically live and die in the street or come live with us.”
The permanent homes are based on a model in Austin, TX that has shown success. Pierce County staff had visited the site before the Spanaway project moved forward.
“We don’t have an issue with this group is attempting to help the problem but the location they selected is just the wrong location,” said Paul Lubbesmeyer, one of the organizers of the “Spanaway Concerned Citizens” group that has several hundred followers on Facebook.
Lubbesmeyer said he and the group are concerned about the creeks and wetlands that run through the 90-acre site.
“The residents here are not going to be required to be clean and sober and that increases the risk of potential contaminants,” he said.
Paulson said the housing development of the project will be limited to fewer than 25 acres further away from areas of water. Fencing will be built to protect the wetlands as well. Paulson said all environmental challenges to the project have been resolved.
“We don’t require someone to be clean and sober coming in because people coming out of chronic homelessness, that would be a significant barrier but we are going to provide support services, addiction-recovery programming, mental health services, all the support services that can help with that,” Paulson said.
Paulson also points to local laws around drug sales and drug possession that will be enforced in public spaces.
Lubbesmeyer said the rural tract of land the village will be—pushed up against the boundary of Joint Base Lewis-McCord, doesn’t have access to stores and he worries about transit access.
“They won’t have automobiles so they’re going to have to walk and or get some other form of transportation to get across the arterial for any kind of services,” he said.
Paulson has planned with that–working with Sound Transit and other shuttle options for something “similar what someone would do in a retirement village.” However, he points out that a bus line on Pacific Avenue is around half a mile away.
“We are going to have a medical care provider in the in the community. We are going to have services that are going to come on-site. So, I’m hoping people don’t feel like they have to leave a lot, but they absolutely can.”
Concern also comes from the other side of this project—that the more narrow scope of who will live in the village may limit services for those already living without a home in Spanaway.
“We’re a desert so we don’t have a lot of access to resources,” Pastor Samara Jenkins of Spanaway said. “What’s available to the folks in the village would just be available to the folks in the village. It might eventually become the draw to say, ‘Oh, this is a benefit to people and draw resources to the area, but right now that’s just something we’re doing on our own.’”
Jenkins has organized several services and resources to travel to the Spanaway Methodist Church to periodically help people. Jenkins said people often “want homelessness handled, but not near them,” when it comes to projects she’s established, like a safe-park site or others like the Good Neighbor Village
Paulson agreed and said Spanaway has some of the highest concentration of people experiencing homelessness than other Pierce County communities. He said they are working to house some of the people who are chronically homeless in the facility.
“We want to meet the needs in the local community first as well,” Paulson said, “So we’re going to target that as a priority for people coming into the village. But overall, we’re trying to serve the whole county and and people that have been experiences homeless here for a long time in Pierce County.”
Link to original article: https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/good-neighbor-village-spanaway-breaks-ground-residents-raise-concerns/LGZLEHSC6JEHLK5XQPUI37MXVA/
Event
/in NewsGNV Groundbreaking Ceremony!
CLICK HERE to watch a video of the ground breaking.
Tacoma Rescue Mission staff, County and State officials, supporters, and more gathered on November 21, 2024, to break ground at the site of the future Good Neighbor Village.
Update
/in NewsMajor Milestone Reached for the Good Neighbor Village!
Dear friends and supporters,
I’m happy to report that on October 30, Tacoma Rescue Mission received its first official permit for clearing and grading on the future Good Neighbor Village property from Pierce County Planning and Public Works. This allows the Tacoma Rescue Mission to clear vegetation and level and grade the earth into what will become the road leading from Spanaway Loop Road into the permanent supportive housing development for formerly chronically homeless individuals!
With permit in hand, we plan to have a groundbreaking ceremony and start clearing and grading by the end of November 2024.
The Good Neighbor Village is a planned community of homes for people exiting chronic homelessness in Pierce County. Based on the successful Community First! Village model in Austin, Texas, the Good Neighbor Village will offer permanent housing along with onsite wrap-around services including case management, employment opportunities and resources, and physical and mental healthcare — restoring dignity, purpose, and stability within a safe, supportive, and healing community.
Thank you again for your interest in caring for our friends and neighbors who have become chronically homeless. We are one step closer to providing so many of our neighbors with lives that encompass support, safety, and dignity.
Duke Paulson
Executive Director
Update
/in NewsIn response to concerned Spanaway citizens, the Tacoma Rescue Mission provides clarity around actions to address road accessibility and its impacts on wetlands.
As the rainy season approaches, Tacoma Rescue Mission (TRM) recently took steps to address accessibility via the county road to the rental home and buildings on the property. TRM had the pre-existing culverts (pipes that go under the road) cleared of debris so water would flow freely underneath and not over the road during continuous rain. We also replaced a failed overflow culvert and added gravel to the roadway to level and fill potholes, and, in one case, widened the road to more closely match the two-lane width of the road connecting to it. TRM also added gravel to a deteriorated dirt road for vehicle access to a barn and a turnaround located on the property. In one location, the added gravel encroached 8-10 feet into a buffer area between the road and the wetlands. While our intentions were to improve accessibility and road conditions, we now know that these actions should have been discussed and, in several cases, permitted separately from our current project permit process prior to doing this work. These oversights occurred due to an internal communication error between different teams and we have since taken firm steps to ensure that this mistake will not happen again.
After disclosing what happened to the regulating agencies and viewing the area with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, a wetland biologist, the county staff, and TRM contracted engineers and project team, TRM was told that this work should have been specifically permitted, and because it was not, we would receive formal notice letters from the county for each violation as well as a request to submit plans to repair any damage. On a positive note, what was done is generally allowable activity (when permitted) and has not significantly damaged the wetland areas or wildlife. TRM has agreed to do remediation (corrective actions) to repair damage done, as well as to apply for and retroactively receive the permits needed for the performed work. This will effectively correct the situation, which is what we all want to happen.
Since the work was performed on a road that was not a part of the Good Neighbor Village project area, we’ve been informed that this should have no impact on the viability of the Good Neighbor Village permitting and construction proceeding as planned. We are very excited to continue developing this new community that gives real hope and a new life to our chronically unhoused neighbors in Pierce County.
At the Tacoma Rescue Mission, we are committed to learning from this experience and ensuring that we uphold the highest standards of responsibility — both to our community and the environment. We sincerely apologize for any concern this may have caused, and we are working diligently to correct it. If you have any further questions or feedback, we welcome the opportunity for dialogue as we move forward.
In the News
/in NewsThe Seattle Times: “WA county to replicate Texas’ huge solution to homelessness”
September 22, 2024
By: Greg Kim, Seattle Time staff reporter
“TRAVIS COUNTY, TEXAS – Every now and then, Juan Javier Pedroza hears one of his neighbors ranting all night into the morning.
Four years ago, he moved out of a tent in Austin into one of the largest and most famous tiny home villages in America, where hundreds of people who have spent long stretches outside live in small manufactured homes and RVs spaced at least 10 feet apart.
“We’re not all perfect here. And some people are going through their own issues,” Pedroza said.
But he says the space between his neighbors’ homes and his makes it work.
With more than 80% of residents staying each year, Travis County’s model of using small homes as permanent housing is inspiring copycats around the country, including in Washington. Officials in Pierce County, with the second-largest homeless population in the state, are betting tens of millions of dollars this style of housing will bring people inside who would remain on the streets otherwise.
Read the full article here: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/wa-county-to-replicate-texas-huge-solution-to-homelessness/
In the News
/in NewsSouth Sound Magazine: “Feel Good Friday: Good Neighbor Village”
September, 20, 2024
By: South Sound staff
The Tacoma Rescue Mission shared this week that the Pierce County hearing examiner released a final ruling in favor of the development of the organization’s Good Neighbor Village. The facility would help Tacoma Rescue Mission provide 285 single-unit homes to those experiencing homelessness. The organization says that that would serve more than 25% of those facing homelessness in the county.
Read the full article here: https://www.southsoundmag.com/arts-entertainment/feel-good-friday-good-neighbor-village-tacoma-rescue-mission-elope-253-smartcells/article_7149db1c-76ae-11ef-af29-2bcd302221a4.html
In the News
/in NewsKing 5 News: “Tacoma Rescue Mission will soon break ground on new tiny home village in Spanaway”
September 20, 2024
By: Connor Board, King 5 News
“The Tacoma Rescue Mission says it will soon break ground on a new tiny home village in Spanaway. The “Good Neighbor Village” will have 285 homes, common buildings, an art room, and a farm. It is modeled after the Community First! Village in Austin, Texas, and the rescue mission is calling it the first of its kind in Washington state.
“This is a big swing at having a deep impact on homelessness by Pierce County,” said Duke Paulson, the executive director of the Tacoma Rescue Mission.
It will be built on 90 acres of property that the Tacoma Rescue Mission purchased about a year and a half ago. It is located at the intersection of 176th and Spanaway Loop Road. Paulson said the homes will be larger than the average tiny home, approximately 300 to 400 square feet. The people who live there will pay rent and have jobs, like working on the village farm.
“Because of the amount of people that are living here, we will have a community of people where it really is they’re working and thriving together,” said Paulson.
There will be services for people on site for things like mental health and substance abuse disorder and the village will be staffed. This will be permanent supportive housing for people who are chronically homeless in Pierce County Paulson said they believe this village will be able to house 25% of the county’s chronically homeless population.”
Read the full article AND watch the interview with Executive Director of the Tacoma Rescue Mission, Duke Paulson, here: https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/tacoma-rescue-mission-break-ground-new-tiny-home-village-spanaway/281-54bd0cdd-556e-4e0e-b2dc-519a1ed22145
DJC Reports GNV Approval
/in NewsThe Daily Journal of Commerce also reported on the Pierce County Hearing Examiner definitively ruled in favor of awarding the Tacoma Rescue Mission a conditional use permit for its Good Neighbor Village project, planned for 27 acres in Spanaway.
Read More at the Daily Journal of Commerce: https://www.djc.com/news/ae/12164264.html