Manning the Exits

There is a local store, part of the Kroger chain, called Fred Meyer. The basic concept could be described as a supermarket with a small department store attached. It really could be something of a one-stop-shop, where a person could get food, clothing, a television, office supplies, and the like under one roof. The stores are just big enough to have a reasonably decent chance of having what one might need. This makes them busy places during the holidays, as not only are there people shopping for groceries, but also for gifts, party preparation and the like.

In any event, I stopped by to grab some food for dinner, and noticed something interesting. There are, generally speaking, three routes out of the parking lot at this particular Fred Meyer; one each to the North, West and South. This evening, there was a panhandler at each one. For one exit to have a panhandler was pretty standard; a lot of stores in the area seem to have one place particularly favored by people needing to beg of passing strangers. But for there to be enough people attempting to work the exits from a particular location that they were all covered is highly unusual; I don't think I've seen anything like it since the "Great Recession" of the late '00s.

Whether this is an indication that problems of poverty and homelessness in the Seattle area are worsening, I don't know. This is, after all, simply a single observation. But this is the sort of thing that convinces people that things are worse than they were, say, a month ago. Unfortunately, I'm less certain that it convinces people that they should be part of the solution. And, in the end, they're going to have to be. The circumstances and policies that have lead to homes being out of reach for so many have resulted in the people who own the current housing stock being wealthier than they otherwise would be. Unless and until a significant group of people are willing to give up some of those gains, the high costs of living in the local area will result in more people holding signs by the exits to parking lots.