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To the editor
The Longmont Observer
I am submitting what follows as a guest opinion. It is timely based on the subject and a June 21 Times Call article on homelessness in Longmont. If you are willing to publish this, please do so as quickly as possible so that readers benefit from its timeliness. Please also note that I submit this as a Longmont resident, not as an elected official. I am not authorized, nor am I intending, to represent any position on homelessness other than my own.
Who is the Enemy?
In the words of one the great philosophers of the 20th century, Pogo; “we have met the enemy, and he is us”. How might Pogo’s philosophy apply to Longmont’s current challenge with homelessness?
In a June 21 article on homelessness in the Times Call, considerable finger pointing was reported. Pointing fingers and laying blame for a situation as complex as homelessness does not strike me as what Longmont deserves. This behavior, and the language used to do it, only feeds fear and division in the community at a time when we need to unify and coalesce around creative solutions. Labeling our most generous and compassionate charities and neighbors as “toxic” only makes our environment and our relationships more toxic. It is what people do when driven by their worst fears.
We have met the enemy, and he is us.
For individuals who really want to examine factors contributing to the growth of homelessness in Longmont, they probably ought to consider City Councils since 2011. In 2011 the City Council overturned an inclusionary housing ordinance designed to increase the stock of affordable housing in Longmont. Since then, Longmont has been governed by City Councils that could have, and should have, anticipated the current dearth of affordable housing. Since 2011, no Council has acted to increase affordable housing options for the growing percentage of Longmont residents who need them.
We have met the enemy, and he is us.
Is it fair to blame City Councils since 2011? Probably not. Those Councils were comprised of good people doing their best to serve the city given the challenges they faced at the time. Blaming and shaming City Councils as toxic contributors to the problems now confronting us would be unfair. It is equally unfair to blame and shame churches, charities, and our most compassionate and generous neighbors.
We have met the enemy, and he is us.
Acknowledging our worst fears in any situation is worth doing. So is identifying our best hopes and preferred outcomes of addressing a situation. Attempting to avoid worst fears triggers the very behaviors that lead to realizing them. Longmont deserves leaders and residents working on their best hopes rather than reacting to their worst fears. We all need to ask ourselves: what are our best hopes for addressing our current homelessness crisis?
Some leaders in the community are promoting a “hand up” vs a “hand out” to those in need. I support this approach. I believe in the value and importance of giving back to our community, especially from those of us who have been given so much. For individuals in need of a hand up, which is everyone struggling with housing and food insecurity, homelessness, drug addition, and/or mental illness, giving back to this community can be as meaningful and dignifying to that individual as it is to the community that provides it. For everyone capable of giving back, we should expect it of them. In this case giving back can be as simple as helping with clean-up after a meal, helping to maintain our parks and greenways, cleaning and maintaining shelters and restrooms, reaching out to others who are dealing with similar challenges and connecting them with Longmont resources. If a “hand up” approach is a place to start, it is not the place to finish. We need a robust, comprehensive, coherent, and creative strategy that matches the complexity of the problem, the compassion of the community, and the talents of our people. We start developing this kind of strategy by respecting and listening to one another.
The current Council and city staff are working on a more aggressive, strategic, and comprehensive housing ordinance than the ordinance abandoned by an earlier Council. This Council needs to finish what it started with this ordinance, hold itself accountable for growing the inventory of affordable housing options available to Longmont residents, and making progress on the vision and goal statements it developed on May 18. Here is a vision statement and goals on which the Council is working:
In 20 years, Longmont will be the world’s greatest village, where children are most fortunate to be born and raised, where people will have access to food, shelter and everyone has the opportunity to thrive and feel they belong.
We will have an integrated, systemic approach that leverages human and social capital to:
* provide high quality pre-K learning opportunities for all our children so they all have a good start in life
* incentivize and provide housing and support services that end the risk of homelessness in our community
* focus on making sure that our most vulnerable residents have the resources and opportunity to thrive.
This is what Longmont deserves.
Our collective response to individuals who abuse our residents, our parks, our values, or our laws, homeless or not homeless, should be clear and definitive. Individuals who break our laws must be held accountable through law enforcement and judicial procedures. The narrative about Longmont, both in Longmont and outside of Longmont among homeless populations, needs to be as clear as our values; Longmont respects and supports those who respect and support Longmont. Those who don’t will be well advised to find another community.
We have met the enemy and we know what it is. The enemy is all of the factors that contribute to homelessness; under employment, unemployment, unattainable health insurance, skyrocketing home prices, domestic violence, mental illness, drug addiction, and more. The enemy is not our charities, churches, or compassionate neighbors. We have problems to solve in Longmont. Let’s start solving them together.
Tim
Tim Waters
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