Show off your favorite abandoned-garbage-riverside-homeless-camps of 2022!

[JayB]

You should see the mess under the First South Bridge over the Duwamish. Abandoned, burned cars, trucks, etc. Tons of trash and garbage. This is right next to the Duwamish and you can only guess on the stuff that has leached into the soil and will likely seep into the river for years. I have no idea why the City of Seattle thinks that this is acceptable. Well, maybe I do... but they do nothing to address the problem.

It is such sketchy a area, I didn't even want to stop and take a picture.

In this case, I can personally attest to the fact that - when it comes to the Duwamish - it wasn't always like this. I lived on the North end of Capitol Hill from 2009-2014, launched near the Spokane Street bridge, and parked under the West Seattle Bridge. In 2011 there were no visible encampments in the area. In 2013 there was a single transient living in a tent near the bridge. I was able to park there with little or no concern for my vehicle. There were no encampments visible in the portions of the river that I fished.

 

[Zak]

This is an interesting counterpoint to the "It's never been like this before" mindset. I mean, it's not been like this in MY lifetime (or I suspect any of your lifetimes). But it HAS been like this, or at least similar, in the past.

Now, different times, different causes? Or are there underlying themes we can learn if we took the time to dig? What solutions worked last time and can they work again? Or has the world turned too far? That's for someone smarter than me to research and try to glean data from.

But it's worth remembering that we've had terrible slums in our area in the past.

View attachment 48129

The Hoovervilles were an aspect of the Great Depression. I'm no historian, but one similarity between the years leading up to the Great Depression and now seems to me to be massive income inequality and the the rise of robber barons, who had wealth and power beyond that of mere mortals. The New Deal was an attempt to redistribute wealth and provide a social safety net, so that the old and poor no longer starved.

I keep expecting to see some modern-day prophet arise from and organize the homeless into a quarterstaff-wielding army. Has anyone else noticed the increase in homeless people traveling with stout 6-7' staffs?

"You poor take courage, you rich take care."

 

[nwbobber]

I don't have a favorite. I hate seeing this, but what I hate even more is seeing someone in a 75000 dollar jet boat toss a plastic whatever over the side as he blasts up the river.
Our society has taken a long time to get to the point where there is such hopelessness existing at a time when we are for the most part wealthier than we have ever been as a whole. It will likely take a long time to get back to where we can help people get their self respect back and on their feet, working, and fending for themselves. I think it will take a lot of self reflection on the part of those of us that have the ability to help.

 

[SurfnFish]

Poverty, mental illness and addiction/alcoholism has always taken it's toll, and the rnumbers are just that much larger within a population that has soared from 105M in 1920 to 334M in 2022.
And in a society where the average family has 5K in savings between them and a personal disaster which puts them on the street, we're not going to see less of this.
Solutions? In a country where can no longer even agree on what are actual facts?

 

[Scottybs]

I'll start!!!

Part of the problem is “we” tolerate it… it’s a very complex problem but the enabling is counterproductive. There are resources and these people do need help. We need to force one of the 2 paths, get help, or move the f&@k along. Few fail to mention the vultures that are profiting off of the homeless, sending them off with “shopping lists” to the local stores because there is no enforcement. Sick of not being able to take my kids to the park.

 

[Roper]

How is it the so called homeless acquire so much shit? If they have no jobs or income where do all the tarps, tents, bicycles, etc. come from?

 

[Scottybs]

How is it the so called homeless acquire so much shit? If they have no jobs or income where do all the tarps, tents, bicycles, etc. come from?

Roper,

See my above vulture comment… go talk to a manager of a local store… you’ll learn about the underground economies of these camps.

 

[Coach Potter]

Lots of seemingly complex problems have simple solutions but simple usually equates to hard…we don’t seem to like hard. It’s difficult for me to imagine that drug addiction isn’t the root cause of much of the homelessness. People have been falling on hard times forever. It didn’t turn into this until the last 7-10 years. I would be curious to know how many addicts got their first fix from a doctor?

 

[Rob Allen]

 

[FinLuver]

Who needs to go streamside…this shit is all over town.

 

[SurfnFish]

Lots of seemingly complex problems have simple solutions but simple usually equates to hard…we don’t seem to like hard. It’s difficult for me to imagine that drug addiction isn’t the root cause of much of the homelessness. People have been falling on hard times forever. It didn’t turn into this until the last 7-10 years. I would be curious to know how many addicts got their first fix from a doctor

Ok, some factoids.
As Governor, Regan drastically cut back on the CA state budget funding mental health programs to help pay for tax breaks for the rich, and in a short time tens of thousands of patients that were formerly either in mental hospitals or in out-patient clinics were released on the street, which Regan declared was a local problem, not a state one.
Other states soon followed, cutting back on their mental health programs, and the mentally ill homeless numbers continued to rise around the country.
As to the drugs vs alcohol discussion, studies such as the one below come up with the same conclusions, which is drug abuse is more common in the younger, alcohol in the older.numbers.

National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans - VA Homeless Programs

The National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans (NCHAV) was established in 2009 by VA Secretary General Shinseki within the VHA Homeless Programs Office and authorized through section 713 of the Jeff Miller and Richard Blumenthal Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2016, Public Law...

www.va.gov

 

[Scottybs]

Ok, some factoids.
As Governor, Regan drastically cut back on the CA state budget funding mental health programs to help pay for tax breaks for the rich, and in a short time tens of thousands of patients that were formerly either in mental hospitals or in out-patient clinics were released on the street, which Regan declared was a local problem, not a state one.
Other states soon followed, cutting back on their mental health programs, and the mentally ill homeless numbers continued to rise around the country.
As to the drugs vs alcohol discussion, studies such as the one below come up with the same conclusions, which is drug abuse is more common in the younger, alcohol in the older.numbers.

National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans - VA Homeless Programs

The National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans (NCHAV) was established in 2009 by VA Secretary General Shinseki within the VHA Homeless Programs Office and authorized through section 713 of the Jeff Miller and Richard Blumenthal Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2016, Public Law...

www.va.gov

ACLU History: Mental Institutions | American Civil Liberties Union

Spearheaded by the New York Civil Liberties Union's (NYCLU) Mental Patients' Rights Project, the shuttered world of people confined because of mental illness and developmental disabilities was one of the next major enclaves targeted for legal action. Bruce Ennis, Director of the Project, was a...

www.aclu.org

Just to cover all bases.

 

[clarkman]

There's some nice expensive tarps there I would like to get my hands on

Who's to say that someone didn't give those to them so they could actually stay dry? I know that I've personally given away several tents to homeless folks around town. It's not much, but it's something.

(not directed at you specifically with this) The fact is that we have zero idea how the majority of these folks came to be where they're at. Maybe they had to go in to the hospital and ended up broke because of the healthcare costs...maybe they ARE drug affected because a doctor prescribed them something, who the hell knows? But yeah, let's keep using that umbrella over the entire population. But yeah, keep up the victim blaming....I told myself I'd stay out of this one...guess I failed.

 

[Coach Potter]

Ok, some factoids.
As Governor, Regan drastically cut back on the CA state budget funding mental health programs to help pay for tax breaks for the rich, and in a short time tens of thousands of patients that were formerly either in mental hospitals or in out-patient clinics were released on the street, which Regan declared was a local problem, not a state one.
Other states soon followed, cutting back on their mental health programs, and the mentally ill homeless numbers continued to rise around the country.
As to the drugs vs alcohol discussion, studies such as the one below come up with the same conclusions, which is drug abuse is more common in the younger, alcohol in the older.numbers.

National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans - VA Homeless Programs

The National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans (NCHAV) was established in 2009 by VA Secretary General Shinseki within the VHA Homeless Programs Office and authorized through section 713 of the Jeff Miller and Richard Blumenthal Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2016, Public Law...

www.va.gov

Regan was the Governor of CA from the mid 60’s to the mid 70’s. Where I grew up, Spokane WA, homelessness became a serious problem about 10-12 years ago.

 

[Coach Potter]

Who's to say that someone didn't give those to them so they could actually stay dry? I know that I've personally given away several tents to homeless folks around town. It's not much, but it's something.

(not directed at you specifically with this) The fact is that we have zero idea how the majority of these folks came to be where they're at. Maybe they had to go in to the hospital and ended up broke because of the healthcare costs...maybe they ARE drug affected because a doctor prescribed them something, who the hell knows? But yeah, let's keep using that umbrella over the entire population. But yeah, keep up the victim blaming....I told myself I'd stay out of this one...guess I failed.

I said the same thing…that I would stay out of it. I can’t fix it so sharing An opinion about it is wasted time.

 

[SurfnFish]

When we left the Oregon coast, 15% of the county kids K1 - K12 in Lincoln County were considered to be living in temp housing (homeless) living in motels, campgrounds or cars, due to their family situations.
So the school implemented a program that every kid in the county could get a free lunch as well as take home food over the weekend to have something to eat. (wife and I were yearly donors to the program, currently donate to Bethleham Inn for homeless families in Bend).
This is a lot bigger problem than some homeles camping alongside a river.

 

[DimeBrite]

Cracker Bar near Sultan had some good camps and drug deal hang outs.

 

[nwbobber]

It's difficult to really help someone who is addicted, and living the way we see people living today. Many folks don't start addicted, they become addicted after their life falls apart. If someone I know falls on hard times, I would hope that I would do whatever I could to keep them in their home, or offer them shelter to keep their life from sinking into a shithole like we see along the streets. It's far easier to help before it gets this bad.
I live in a really tight neighborhood, and we help each other. It may be a little more difficult in the city... I don't think people know each other like we do living out in the sticks.

 

[JACKspASS]

From my perspective it was nothing like this in the 70's and 80's. My extended family has had and still does a cabin on the N Fork Sky since the 30's. From 74 until 82 when I graduated high school I spent most of every summer up there with my Dad and uncles, chores and maintenance in mornings, hiking and fishing in afternoons. We fished, as they had as kids every and all tribs on both forks, in that timeframe we would run into and there were a few "hermits", mostly but not all veterans, as was my Dad (V.N./Korea) but they were generally completely different than what we see out there today. Mainly they just wanted to be left alone to do their own thing, they did not trash their camps, trash the environment, were not violent or threatening and did not break into our rigs or steal your stuff. We would see them around trout creek, sunset mine, Galena, silver creek etc. It was a whole different situation IMO and from my personal experience.

In the 90's my wife and I lived up there for about 4 years, during that decade things began to change and shift from what I described above to what we have today again based on my personal experience.

I'm sure OMJ and many others have their own experiences and observations.

Off topic but regarding abundance, pressure and competition it was completely different and much, much better then than now IMO and from my experience.

Agree @SKYKO, I remember the fellow who lived in the little yellow bus below Trout Creek, and a few others who didn't trash the land and didn't steal, if you remember a little two tone brown s10 and a white ranger with canopy, myself and my fishing buddy practically lived up there in the 90's/early 00's. I don't fish up there anymore, but if I did, I wouldn't feel as safe

 

[klq@stl]

Where I grew up, Spokane WA, homelessness became a serious problem about 10-12 years ago.

The park’s population peaked at 5,500 in August 1974 and a full time nurse is brought in to handle assorted medical issues.

People's Park: Expo '74 and Riverfront Park

Once an Indian winter camp, this area where Hangman Creek (Latah Creek) and the Spokane River merge has been a popular site for campers, transients, and picnickers. According to Curly Jim, from the…

spokanehistorical.org