We’ve been quieter than we’d like over recent months for a few reasons. The first is that a group of housing activists including several involved with Housing Now Seattle have been meeting and laying the groundwork for a new initiative that was to be rolled out over the summer. With the COVID-19 crisis those plans have been delayed, both because it disrupted our meeting schedule and because all of us have been feeling so overwhelmed by all this.

Those of us who have experienced homelessness before have some familiarity with this feeling. It’s like the world is pressing in on you and you try to grab hold of whatever is available that gives some comfort.  Even when one is able to put together some temporary solution, the feeling of constant danger is exhausting.

That said, it is possible for individuals and for society to overcome. COVID-19 is beatable, as are many other problems. While the pandemic might be the most pressing crisis that we’re in, it’s not the only crisis we’ve got. The twin pressures of the housing crisis and the climate crisis have not gone away.