In this past year, as the Coronavirus pandemic changed our community and world forever, can you imagine surviving without a warm, safe home? For the first time, so many of us experienced the pain and frustration of isolation, but could you endure such an existence for two, five, ten or more years? As Gov. Inslee issued the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order, what if the security of a place to call your own remained a dream?
Even before the virus upended the patterns of our lives, King County residents lived in what is a heartbreaking contradiction. How can our region of such plenty, with a thriving job market, strong commerce, innovative minds, and exquisite natural beauty, have so many unhoused among us? Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, there were an estimated 11,751 people experiencing homelessness in King County, at least 1,032 of whom lived on the Eastside. By the end of this pandemic, there will likely be many more.
In the face of these numbers, and the myriad factors that can cause someone to lose a home, it’s easy to turn to frustration or apathy. Fortunately, for our region of innovators and problem solvers, engineering a novel solution isn’t required because Plymouth Housing’s approach has been effective for decades.
For more than 40 years, Plymouth has helped people out of chronic, long-term homelessness with their model of “permanent supportive housing.” They follow Housing First practices, which are centered around the principles that everybody is ready for a permanent home and that housing is the critical first step towards stability. Through this compassionate approach, Plymouth not only acknowledges the humanity and worth of all people, they also have had incredible success — a 97% success rate at keeping people housed.
And housing is just the beginning. Once they have their apartment keys, Plymouth’s 1,200 residents are supported by medical staff and case managers who help them set and achieve their goals. Some residents even go on to work in homelessness services.
These numbers don’t just represent changed lives, they also have a measurable, positive impact on our whole community through public cost savings. Responding to those experiencing homelessness in our region is very expensive, due to the frequent reliance on crisis response systems, such as emergency room or jail use. For the equivalent cost of three months in jail or three days in the hospital, Plymouth Housing provides an entire year of housing and supportive services. In addition, a study published in the American Journal of Public Health showed that in the first year in Plymouth’s housing, 29 residents with acute medical needs were able to reduce their use of public services, resulting in over $1.8 million in annual cost savings.
Wouldn’t you agree that our public resources are better invested in permanent solutions for our unhoused neighbors, rather than expensive, temporary interventions?
When an organization so effectively and compassionately solves a critical problem like this, it’s worth doubling down. So, in 2019, I was honored to participate in Seattle Dances, Plymouth’s annual fundraising dance competition, which (in the joyous style of “Dancing with the Stars”) pairs amateur community leaders with seasoned dance pros. Our nine duos spent two months training in social dance styles ranging from waltz to jazz to swing dancing, all the while competing to eventually raise over $1 million to ensure more of our unhoused neighbors could find the caring stability of a Plymouth Housing home.
While Covid-19 has tried its best to dampen our dancing, the show must go on! As Seattle Dances 2021 Co-Chair (along with fellow 2019 dancer Michelle Mathieu of Fulcrum Capital), we’re pleased to invite everyone to join us in our virtual dance-off. In Michelle’s words, “I am incredibly proud to co-chair this year’s event with Alexander. We’ve got a great team working together to support Plymouth’s proven and cost-effective approach to ending homelessness in our community.”
Would you tune in on Saturday, March 13th at seattledances.org to watch some of your neighbors strut their stuff in support of Plymouth Housing? If you’re really inspired, we encourage you to explore our ten “celebrity” dancers (including several familiar faces for Eastsiders such as a former Seahawk and a certain breakdancing former tech executive who’s near & dear to my heart) and support their efforts with a donation.
Finally, I’m pleased to share that after decades of Eastsiders volunteering for and supporting Plymouth, Plymouth will finally join the Eastside when they break ground on their first permanent supportive housing building in Bellevue later this year. This building is part of an innovative partnership which will combine a spectrum of homelessness services and affordable housing options on one campus. In addition to Plymouth’s building, the campus will also include a men’s shelter and day center provided by Congregations for the Homeless, and more than 350 units of workforce housing built by Inland Group.
I’m so grateful to the team at Plymouth Housing for being a constant source of hope and opportunity for our neighbors experiencing homelessness both in Seattle and the Eastside. I encourage each of you to get involved, whether you’re cheering on a Seattle Dances dancer or Plymouth’s new building, or simply learning more about how we can end homelessness in our community. In the meantime, I hope you’ll join us at the virtual event so we can use our dance shoes to bring people home.
Alexander Oki is an executive at Pure Watercraft, the leader in high-performance electric boating technology. He was born & raised in Bellevue.
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Stephanie Kristen, a Plymouth Board Member, Windermere East agent, and Bellevue resident says: “As a real estate agent, I understand the importance of having a place to call home. When you hear the stories of Plymouth residents, you see the faces behind our housing crisis and know we can do better. In these critical times, we must care for one another and lend a hand to our neighbors in need.”
I couldn’t agree more with Steven Goldfarb, President of Alvin Goldfarb Jeweler, when he says, “Plymouth Housing is effectively making a difference in Seattle, and beyond, to manage the homeless crisis. They know what they are doing and I am proud to support their leadership and the needs they fill.”