Report Drop Offs

All the font's really small but here's what the data looks like.

With my time in Seattle quickly drawing to a close- I fly back east tomorrow for a good friend's Vermont wedding- I wanted to pull together some loose ends. All of the information the women have shared with me has now been collected into a glorious, overflowing Excel spreadsheet. And over the past week, I've been writing an initial report with key findings, anecdotes, and data concerning demographics.

When I conducted the interviews, I promised the women that I'd drop off copies of the report so they could see the findings. I swung by both Angeline's and Tent City 3, at its newest location, yesterday to hand over copies.

This is TC3's new location, up in Northern Seattle at Haller Lake Methodist Church. Folks at TC3 shared that they are almost completely set up now (the move was on Saturday and yesterday was Tuesday). It's certainly an awe-inspiring move that occurs every 60-90 days. They'll get to stay at this site through October, which is a great thing since the move is so labor intensive and emotionally draining. However, it takes at least an hour (which can include a 20 minute walk) to get to and from the site from downtown Seattle. And while it's roomy and the neighborhood seems especially friendly, that's a long way to travel for a job or a doctor's appointment. Plus, if King County bus cuts are made, it will be even more of a trip as the two buses that go there- the 41 and 358- are both slated to be reduced. 

While I'm definitely nervous to see what interviewees' reactions to the initial report might be- I left my email for any feedback- I hope that the general conclusions I've been able to draw represent their thoughts. And hopefully, this analysis can serve as a way to hear the needs and feelings of homeless women directly. Often times, and I know I've been guilty of this, assumptions are made about others' needs without appropriate direct consultation with the impacted communities.

I'll post some key take-aways shortly as well.

Just as an FYI, while I'm headed back to school shortly, this project will most likely turn into my thesis work so the policy ideas and examinations of other cities health care for the homeless will continue. Plus, any excuse to come back and visit Seattle is quite appealing!

Moving Day... Every 60 Days

Tent City 3 is sponsored by host churches, per the city's consent decree. And TC3 can stay at a particular host site for up to 90 days. However, lately, it seems like they've been moving every 60 days. Today was moving day, wherein everything is packed up and loaded into massive trucks and then set up all over again in a new location. Everyone is required to help with the move, otherwise you can be banned. It's a massive effort and a phenomenal glance into just how TC3 works as a self-governed entity. The take-down and set-up happens all within one day, which is really a herculean effort considering it's 100 people's belongings as well as communal spaces.

TC3's new location is praised in many ways, with an emphasis on the larger amount of space it affords residents. However, it's in Northern Seattle, requiring a lengthy bus ride with a transfer to get downtown, which, unsurprisingly, is where most health care and job related resources are. 

We went over to help with the loading this morning. Here's a few photos:

Here's just one of the moving trucks used today. You can see one of the many piles of wooden pallets and baseboards used to as the ground for individuals' tents to help keep out moisture and the cold. 

Just a glance of what 100 peoples' belongings look like. Residents say the move every 60-90 days is completely exhausting, unsurprisingly.

Another shot of people's belongings.

Where's the Empirical Evidence?

Seattle policy debates are heating up! And attending hearings, meetings, and pulling together my research reminds me that I made the right choice to earn a masters in Public Policy. A public meeting last week provided additional confirmation.

The room wasn't as full as The Chamber expected but it
was surely full of heated debate. You can kind of
see me sitting behind the camera on the right side.

The Seattle Chamber of Commerce hosted a 'forum' (term used very loosely since it turned into a bit more of an open mic, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, just different than what it may have been marketed as) with six panelists to discuss the details and respond to questions about the proposed paid sick leave ordinance for all city employees. Seattle would be following in the path of San Francisco, the state of Connecticut, Washington D.C. and Milwaukee. As both a public health and a social justice issue, paid sick leave is the right thing for the city to mandate.

The panel featured three ardent supporters of the policy (all women) who each offered compelling stories about why the legislation is necessary: a school nurse, the owner of Cupcake Royale and the Policy Director from the Economic Opportunity Institute. However, there were certainly some angry voices from the other side of the issue including the director from the Washington Policy Center's Center for Small Business (as the Center states, they 'promote sound public policy based on free-market solutions), a representative from the Seattle Society for Human Resource Management and spokesman from the REAL coalition (which you would hope would advocate for strong benefits packages for workers which include paid sick leave...) and a small business owner who operates several H and R Block franchises.

From an observer's standpoint (granted, as an observer with a very strong alliance to mandated paid sick leave policies), there was one overarching pattern that delineated the speakers and their allegiances. Those in favor of the legislation shared stories, personal anecdotes, and appealed to a call for social justice and public health. Those opposed said there simply wasn't enough data. They wanted the empirical evidence. And this was repeated over and over and over again without citing exactly why they were insisting on time-consuming economic analyses when they have been done on cities with policies already in place.

To be honest, it felt like a stalling tactic and one that didn't have the teeth to compete against the woman who stood up and shared that she couldn't take time off when her child is sick. She very simply explained that this jeopardizes her job and results in the loss of a full day's income. Data is important but I believe it really does make a difference to hear personal anecdotes about how a policy will impact an individual family. It's why I'm making sure to have both numbers and stories to back up what women have told me throughout the summer.

On a slightly different note, after the panel, I chatted briefly with the school nurse who had shared such powerful anecdotes from her time in the school system. She spoke about children who would come to her sick but beg her not to call their parent, knowing they couldn't leave work to come pick them up.

Not only was she a compelling speaker, but her public health background marks her an expert who understands human needs. I told her how strong a panelist she was and that she should consider running for office. Knowing how few women think they 'can' or 'should' become involved in electoral politics, I've decided to make sure I tell someone when they strike me as such. After all, wasn't it that recent NYT's article where research suggested that women run for office to 'accomplish something' and because someone else tells them they'd be good at it?

Increased Bus Intensity

The Women's Commission is working incredibly quickly to make the case that the proposed bus cuts will disproportionately impact low-income and homeless women's access to health care. They sent off a letter to the King County Council yesterday citing the information gathered from interviews with women at TC3 and Angeline's and it was featured in Publicola, Seattle's online news source this morning.I can't help but read the comments that people post below- feel free to peruse at your leisure despite this warning that some suggest 'typical comment obnoxiousness.'

What the situation boils down to is that the council members have a vote on their hands to enact a temporary $20 vehicle license fee to cover the additional budget lapses for the bus system. They need six votes to pass the fee and it sounds like citizens who rely on public transportation have been working very hard over the last few weeks to make their concerns known about the reduction in bus service.

Here's a bit more about the situation:
An article in The Stranger
A clip on chanel 5

In the end, I firmly believe that limiting access to health care services will only make more women avoid them. And it's low income women who don't have the choice or the ability to seek out other service providers closer to home; I surely wouldn't make an appointment that would take two hours and three bus transfers to get to. And if this means women are avoiding preventative care, I can't help but worry that much more serious health care issues that might have been avoidable will arise down the road, damaging women's health and costing the city far more.

Seattle Buses: The Wheels Go Round With Not As Much Frequency

While Seattle weather would indicate that summer hasn't really even begun yet, my time here is beginning to wind down. I've now completed all of my interviews with the women- 34 in total, and am set to begin an overall analysis.The first part of this analysis includes a look at bus routes and health care provider proximity.


More specifically, due to budget cuts, many Seattle bus lines are slated to be severely reduced, if not cut entirely. I'm curious to see if these impending reductions would indeed impact access to the current health care providers they frequent. In short, it seems like the answer is 'yes.'

A total of at least six bus lines that are used for women to access particular medical clinics, hospitals, Department of Social and Human Services and SSI offices are on the chopping block. At least another 23 bus lines necessary for accessing these sites are checked for reduced schedules/stops, meaning it will take even longer to get to an appointment or visit a clinic for an emergency.

I have to wonder if this reduction in public transportation will provoke more people to take an ambulance to the ER.  As of now, many of the women I spoke with who cited the ER as their primary care provider take the bus there. But, if it's going to require three transfers and an hour ride just to go two miles, an ambulance surely sounds more appealing if you don't have the money for a cab...

Just a few of the amazingly strong women I've met

I thought it might help personalize some of what I'm sharing by telling you a bit more about some of the women I'm meeting from both Tent City 3 and Angeline's. And since my interviews are now complete, I'm beginning to analyze and share these stories. No names, locations or ages are shared to protect confidentiality and safety of the interviewees.

Each interviewee has been gracious enough to share her stories with honesty, detail and beyond all else, enormous strength.

-A 20-something year old with dentures who has finally found the medicine that can best support her mental health needs yet can't get it covered by her current insurance.

-A woman who is badly injured from an on-the-job injury and knows that physical therapy is the only way to treat it so that she can eventually get off of disability. The irony is that her disability insurance won't cover physical therapy; it only covers medication, which doesn't work for her.

-A woman who is not allowed to see her son and every time she goes to the doctor, is asked about how her family is. And her response is often that she is stuck in a cycle of depression as the separation from her child leads her to feelings of deep sadness.

-A woman who feels extremely grateful for all of the services she is afforded as she is trying to earn a vocational degree and get back on her feet after fleeing a domestic violence situation.

-A woman who has been married for four years yet only spent two of them with her husband because of homelessness and the lack of any shelters for couples to live together. 

-A woman who has been waiting for weeks and weeks to learn if her SSI application was approved and in the meantime, cannot get the medication for her mental health needs.

-A woman who is a cancer survivor but does not know where to go to seek follow-up specialty care to ensure her remission continues.

-A woman who is diabetic who is consciously trying to take control of her illness yet faces numerous challenges because of how hard it is to eat healthy when you're homeless.

-Several women who lie about their addresses when they go to the doctor or the hospital, knowing that if they put down a relative's or former personal address, they will be treated better. As some shared, this can mean a shorter wait time and a more compassionate provider rather than treatment under the assumption that they are simply there to abuse the system or get a new dose of narcotics.

-And one woman who paid me the best compliment I may have ever heard. After we completed the interview, she thanked me for taking the time and then shared that speaking with me made her feel special.

Chaka Kahn

I entered Angeline's this morning, ready to embark on another five interviews. While I sat waiting for my 10 am meeting, laugher and some serious music started pouring out from the main sitting room. After a stroll over with the Center's volunteer coordinator, we found a group of about five women having the most fantastic Chaka Khan dance party. Other women, those not so into dancing, were sitting in their chairs, clapping along, laughing hysterically. It was the best possible way to begin a Monday morning. If I could dance, I would have joined them in a second!


And if I was blog savvy enough, I'd find a way to make it play some Chaka for you as you read. I promise, it'd lift your spirits immediatley and you'd start humming, "Ain't nobody. Love me better..." It's ok, you can blame me for getting it stuck in your head now.

When speaking with the Center's director later, she shared that music and dancing is one of the easiest, and sometimes the only way, for some women to interact and communicate with eachother. In fact, one of the women dancing had, only moments early, been pretty visibly angry during a questioning by the police.

While I continued waiting for my interviewee to show up, a man delivered a bouquet of roses. With the handover of the fresh flowers, he took out the haggard-looking ones from the previous week. Apparantly, the urban legend of the flower delivery is that a woman who was a former Angeline's client now pays to send the Center fresh flowers every week.

While the flower myth may or may not be true, and a local florist may, in fact, be the benevolent donor, women do stop by to share their accomplishments and progress. This past afternoon, while waiting for a different interviewee, a former client swung by Angeline's just to show the staff how well she is currently doing on her own. It's clear that many women who use Angeline's services develop a friendship and a trust with the staff and are eager to earn their bragging rights.