NOTES Editor’s Letter
On Homes and the Homeless
J
ust about every day when I drive home from work, he’s there. It’s not always the same guy, standing on the corner of the I-5 off-ramp, panhandling. But someone’s nearly always there no matter the weather or degrees or daylight. Sometimes, when the light’s red, I am stopped mere feet from him, where we both engage in avoiding eye contact. Yes, I’ve occasionally given food and money. I’ve watched others do the same, likely plagued by the same question — am I helping or hurting? This much is certain: It’s an uncomfortable thing, witnessing homelessness on the daily. But it’s sadly a fact of life in Bellingham and the North Sound, and an increasing problem. We live in polarized (and polarizing) times, with a widening income gap and nearly obliterated middle class as evidence. Our annual home and remodel issue might give you cultural whiplash. It highlights this area’s stunning homes and kitchens, but also tells about local efforts to help people who don’t have homes at all. That’s our reality, even here in the socially conscious Pacific Northwest. Recently, we’ve heard from a few readers who say they don’t want political or current events in these pages, that this magazine is a place to escape controversial subjects. My answer: We still have the full menu of stories about our area’s wonderful shops and restaurants, along with health and beauty, people and places. But I think a lifestyle magazine should reflect both style and life, and that includes things that might be unpleasant to ponder. So yes, let’s celebrate the good intentions and good fortune we have that allow us our growing downtowns, a lively arts and food culture, numerous and hard-working nonprofits, and for some, homes so stunning they belong in the pages of a beautiful magazine (p. 45). Let’s also make sure we know about things like the Interfaith Coalition’s new Family Promise program (p. 90) and Bellingham’s Winter Haven, a temporary homeless settlement (p. 26). After all, it’s hard to avoid eye contact with a problem when you’ve got a small tent city right outside city hall. Only by acknowledging those things can we start to fix them and make the place we live a better one.
MERI-JO BORZILLERI Editor In Chief
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BellinghamAlive.com