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17 <br />• “I feel like that sometimes ending up in jail is a positive. It’s not a goal, it’s something to <br />avoid, but maybe we need to create an in-between place. Something similar, without all <br />the expensive resources that jail has.” <br />• “It feels trivial, but I think the pet piece needs to be in there. We can find a way to <br />accommodate the only friend that some of these people have.” <br />Law Enforcement/Local Government: Participants felt that yes, these are still priorities. There <br />has been some progress on additional housing (Sterling Court), but these priorities need to be <br />addressed simultaneously in order to have an impact. Participants felt that behavioral health <br />services should be included in the priorities. There were also comments about expanding <br />community awareness and questions about what the state of availability of resources is. <br />• “I feel like we have the same priorities. I think we have made headway on additional <br />housing. I don’t know if I’d call it affordable housing.” <br />• “We need to increase affordable housing more and be more adept at doing it in a <br />responsive way. The other support services alongside shelter have to include the <br />behavioral health issues that will enable people to stay in the shelter. <br />• “In reviewing these, I think they’re on the right track. But it’s almost like they need to <br />progress at the same time. You can’t have an increased homeless response without <br />resources available or structures to address that response.” <br />Community Members: Participants felt that yes, these are still broad priorities, but also need to <br />prioritize rapid rehousing programs, expanding options for HUD housing, and legislative advocacy. <br />There was additional discussion about the community land trust and high rents. There was concern <br />expressed that the rapid rehousing program has not been able to be funded the past couple of <br />years. There was a perception that there are more HUD options than people know about. There <br />was also concern about properties being “flipped” and thus experiencing an increase in costs. <br />• “[The rapid rehousing program] would help more of our homeless, and not just low <br />income, which we haven’t done for two years right? It sounds like we need to get <br />something back in place.” <br />• “Maybe some lobbyists? If the community could recognize what legislation would help <br />with that, it could help with housing, bring some model in that would help them all, not <br />just the homeless but the other people who are struggling too.” <br />Central Washington University: Most of the discussion revolved around the importance of the <br />community education piece. Engaging the community in the homelessness issue and educating <br />people about what it’s like to experience poverty and homelessness is important. It was expressed <br />that we need to humanize people who are experiencing homelessness. There was also discussion <br />about the need to address addiction, mental health, and trauma. <br />• “The community engagement and awareness in education is important. The community <br />obviously doesn’t understand the realities of what these people are experiencing…. We <br />can’t really move forward with initiative if there’s no community support.” <br />• “However, fundamentally it’s an issue of humanization…. We need to start seeing <br />these people as people.” <br />• “…this is a neighborly community. When you integrate the neighbors into this kind of <br />collective action for homelessness, the community outreach, that’s how you solve this <br />issue. You can get the fundamental structure of the town to change.”