As of recently Kent and the surrounding area, especially Seattle, have seen a growing homeless population over the last four years. The total homeless population in Seattle alone has nearly doubled since 2013.
Despite efforts, the homeless population does not appear to be decreasing. This may be linked to the pay raise former President Obama issued for 2017. The Washington Post states that “President Obama authorized an average pay raise of 2.1 percent for 2017, instead of the 1.6 percent he submitted in August.”
This unexpected extra 0.5 percent extra could put additional stress upon managers when it comes time to pay their workers. This in turn could cause some managers to let people go. Many of these people now have no external source of income, which means they could join the homeless population.
A possible solution may be to cut wages in order to encourage managers to hire more workers. Staffed homeless shelters may be another solution that could help homeless people back into the working population. These shelters could be government-funded like public schools; however, they could provide their own jobs that the occupants could participate in to keep the facility running.
I believe that a facility like this would encourage people to actively seek out jobs rather than waiting for a check from the government.
– Jake Donaldson
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