Every major city in the United States has a homeless population. Marysville is no exception. If you belong to a church or volunteer at a food bank, you will encounter the homeless. If you work at any thrift store you will encounter the homeless. If you do a fair amount of driving in and around town, you will encounter the homeless.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration says up to 25 percent of the homeless suffers from mental illness.

The highest provider of aid to our homeless comes from professionals. Most have a college education and degree suited for this type of work.

These individuals are social caseworkers, psychologists, nurses, doctors and dentists. Professionals are most often the ones to staff the homeless shelters and missions. They also are the ones that will build and develop aid and treatment centers.

So what will end homelessness?

The first step is to believe we can end it. The plight of homelessness requires preventive measures rather than simply treatment for its symptoms.

Salt Lake City, Utah has proved it can be done. That city’s Housing First initiative has reduced chronic homelessness by 72 percent. Now other cities are giving it a try.

Marysville’s communities can resolve to commit their resources to a variety of programs, which have proved to be effective to prevent homelessness, including:

•Programs that negotiate with landlords and help with bad credit histories;

•Housing trust funds, rental assistance programs, and access to funds that can solve a household’s short-term problems, such as paying back rent, security deposits, and other moving expenses;

•Programs that encourage developers to build or renovate attractive, accessible properties;

•Programs that help people develop personal and family financial management skills, establish or reestablish good credit and rental histories, and retain housing.

•Rebuild communities, especially the most troubled ones;

•Build more housing and subsidize costs to make it is affordable to people with incomes below the poverty level;

•Help more people afford housing, by providing them with better schools, better training, and better jobs;

Without these fundamental foundations of a civil community, we are producing an underclass of persistently poor people susceptible to homelessness. The cost for this negligence is too high. It is more efficient and in the end more fiscally sensible to invest in prevention strategies leading to productivity among all residents.

Dan Sacapano, Marysville

 

 

Sunday, Feb. 14, my 12-pound chihuahua mix wiggled through a small opening in the fence of our yard and our neighbor. He has chickens. They were contained in a coup.

He shot my dog, Penny, in the chest with an arrow. He heard me calling her when he did this. He watched her struggle through the fence with the arrow imbedded in her chest. She limped home and went in her crate for safety. I saw the look on her face of confusion and pain. I was paralyzed.

We rushed her to the vet where they said there was nothing they could do. She was given a bolus of medication, and she passed away.

The law states he is within his rights to protect himself, his livestock and his property. From a little chihuahua mix with a pink collar?

I pray that there is more humanity in the world than what was witnessed on Valentine’s Day in my back yard.

Carolyn M. Gerhart, Tulalip

 

 

On behalf of the Lakewood School District and the Lakewood Help Educate Lakewood Pupils Citizens Committee, we want to thank the community for their “yes” votes on the two propositions in the recent election. We believe the passage of the Educational Programs and Operations Levy and a Capital Projects and Technology Levy demonstrates Lakewood’s continued investment in providing the best education for our youth and continuing to build our strong community. These levies will enable us to keep the operations of the school in order and provide for the costly maintenance and technology upkeep.

Two years ago, Lakewood voters approved a bond for a new high school. With construction set to start this spring, and doors opening in the fall of 2017, we could not be more optimistic about the future for our community. We attribute the success of the bond and these levies to a community that values education and a belief that our friends and neighbors who live in our district recognize the worth of the Lakewood School District. The message is clear – education is important, and the sense of pride in our community is strong.

Countless hours have been spent to educate the public regarding the importance of these two levies. Our HELP Committee organized weekly meetings attended by dedicated volunteers. These volunteers were out digging holes and putting up signs, designing and mailing postcards, and creating a strong grassroots Facebook presence. In addition, there was a concentrated effort to walk around neighborhoods with high voter turnouts and hang fliers on doors. The efforts paid off. We are proud to be a part of such a dedicated team of volunteers, and a school district that puts the education of its students first.

Again, we thank you for your continued support – Our Schools, Our Community.

Michael Mack, superintendent, and Andrea Wyatt Detrick, HELP chairwoman

 

 

Voters recently had an opportunity to vote to support schools in Arlington and Lakewood, and will have the opportunity in April for Marysville.

Meanwhile in Congress, a bipartisan bill, the Education for All Act (HR 4481) was introduced in the House to expand school access and close the gender gap in education. Globally, 124 million children are not in school. Voters can make a difference locally and globally by voting for levies and by urging their representatives to pass the Education for All Act. Every child deserves a quality education.

Willie Dickerson, Snohomish