By Ken Robinson

Managing Editor

For most people, the fact of homelessness is not a reality. By now you must certainly be aware there is a crisis in King County. You may also know that the new mayor has begun an initiative to catch up with the demand for safe housing for those who have found themselves homeless.

When we saw this person in the photo above (Probably a man but could be a woman. There are many homeless women too) we realized that our sense of homelessness is about faceless people, even groups of people, who we generally do not know, have any knowledge of and know only that they have no home to go to.

We imagine these same individuals would just as soon remain anonymous. But this leaves something out of their predicament. When we are employed and have choices, we are happy to be identified, to use our name, or history to carry on in life. For someone who has lost their home, there is a stigma attached to this misfortune. We suspect there is some shame that goes along with this. 

The ability to solve life’s problems is a hallmark of the adult in our society. When circumstances mount against you, the basic things you need, get very hard to obtain. And sometimes it results in people losing everything.

We grew up in a family that believe the strong must protect the weak. In the case of those who have become homeless, it means we need to pull together as a community to find shelter for others. 

We are aware of several programs now underway, programs sponsored by local government. We recently carried a story about a group of friends in Ballard who built a tiny house and donated it to a homeless person. This act of selflessness is a wonderful example of how we can all make a difference without waiting for the government to solve all of our problems.

We hope the new year brings more examples of this in the richest nation on earth.

You'll find more information on homelessness in King County here.