Letter to the Times: Sales tax is a step toward a long-term solution

Dear Lawrence Times:

This is an open letter to our community.

Today, every community of 1,000-plus in the United States has a “homeless problem.” Lawrence, Kansas is no different. I submit that not funding services for unhoused people in our community will not resolve the issue.

Question 2 on the current ballot is to continue the 0.05% (equal to $0.0005, or five-hundredths of a cent) sales tax that funds the affordable housing program, which already exists and will continue regardless of the vote. The new proposal is to add 0.05% to the sales tax, making a total of one-tenth of a cent sales tax, which will go toward services for the homeless. Those services include temporary shelter and help in working toward stable housing.

Some in our community are advocating against raising the sales tax in Lawrence by five one-hundredths of a penny (that’s right, 0.05%, or 5 cents per $100 spent). I call them the “Don’t Say Homeless” group, as they talk as though if we don’t want homeless people and we vote down the tax, the issue will be resolved. A “no” vote will not eliminate the existing tax for affordable housing.

Vote “yes” on Question 2 on the current ballot. Homelessness is both a personal problem and a social problem on a grand scale that we must face to solve. Otherwise, it will never go away. Despite its complexity, there are solutions to homelessness for most individuals and families. Also, there are steps toward solutions in our community that have not been realized. It starts with understanding the origins and root causes of this social justice issue.

In short, the source is the family of origin — what the individual inherits from their family in learning, resources and genetics. In my work with the homeless at the local nonprofit the Homeless Resource Center (HRC, formerly DARE) drop-in support center on a weekly basis (you too could volunteer there), I am aware that most of the homeless persons I have interacted with have no family of origin or extended family support — usually no contact at all. They did not grow up in a “normal, middle class, educated, working, law-abiding” family. And they are not connected with any healthy primary support group in any community.

Therefore, the most far-reaching and effective solutions are services to nuclear families with children from prenatal to adulthood. Obviously, that will take another generation or more to reach the solution point, and the types of services provided must be multidisciplinary — from holistic health to education, training, housing, and more. However, the current plan funded by Question 2 is a giant step in the right direction. The city’s plan is for “functional zero homelessness.”

Another frequent judgment I hear is that the homeless are lazy and just need to get a job. In reality, it is extremely difficult to get hired if you don’t have a stable, continual work history, references, a way to be contacted, a high school education, or good grooming and attire. Any one of those barriers will prevent being hired at most places. Many unhoused people do not have any of the above. Some have come from jail or prison, which is certainly a major barrier to employment.

A “solution” I have heard repeatedly is for the city to buy a vacant school, office, or apartment building, put all the homeless there, and be done with it. This is not a manageable solution unless it includes comprehensive services to help them improve their functional abilities to move into permanent housing — and that would require funding beyond the cost of the building. Also, it would have to be only a temporary stopping point, as without the comprehensive preventive services mentioned above, the oncoming homeless people with multiple unmet needs will continue.

Approving the slight addition to the sales tax will be a step in the right direction toward a long-term solution.

We can work together to counter this pervasive issue by supporting and assisting with programs that are steps toward solving the problem. It is up to us to take care of those less fortunate. The need is great, and we are each called to act in good faith by participating in the steps necessary to reach the solution.

Please vote “yes” on Question 2 today and say, “I will help homeless people improve themselves rather than shunning them.”

Sincerely,

— Timothy J. Bonner (he/him), Lawrence, Homeless Resource Center volunteer

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