SOUNDER THE ISLANDS’
Serving Orcas, Lopez and San Juan County
WEDNESDAY, June 4, 2014 VOL. 47, NO. 23 75¢ islandssounder.com
Graduation special section inside
WSF to change its ticket policy
New requirements in response to alleged stealing by CALI BAGBY Assistant editor
Cali Bagby/Staff photo
OPAL’s Lavender Hollow, above, is one of the island’s largest affordable housing unit with 22 spaces.
Local housing crisis by CALI BAGBY Assistant editor
Randy Davis and his family are on the verge of homelessness. Their circumstances are a matter of supply and demand, rather than a lack of financial resources. Davis said he could easily pay up to $2,000 per month on rent, but there is nothing available in that price range. “It takes a toll on the family,” he said. “They are not happy to not have a place – not knowing what is going to happen next is stressful.” Davis is married and has two kids with another child due in June. The family is currently staying in a home on the rental market. Once it’s sold they will have to look elsewhere. Since moving back to the islands in 2010 after a four-year break, the Davis family has moved five times. When Davis applied for affordable housing several years ago he says that he was turned down because he made too much money. He owns a rental home in Eastern Washington, where he lived several years ago, but because of owning that place he can’t get a second loan for an island home. Yet, even with a loan there may not be anything for him to purchase in his price range. According to Davis, most of the homes he has looked at are “fixer uppers.” He describes himself as not being able to swing a hammer – he works on cars, which is why he is the co-owner of a local mechanic shop. Davis is one of six islanders who wrote to the Sounder concerning the shortage of housing on the island. Problems included the lack of affordable housing and failure to get a loan. Several islanders said they will be forced to move off-island this summer because they have nowhere to live.
And these folks are not alone. In 2006, 21,962 persons were tallied by the Washington State Point-in-Time Count as homeless in Washington state. By 2009 the number had jumped to 22,827. Then in 2011 numbers went down again to 20,346 . Last year’s tally listed 20,336 persons. In San Juan County, 32 people were listed as homeless by the count in 2012, which is a decrease from 42 people in 2011. But last year’s numbers were a large increase from the 11 listed in 2007 and the mere nine listed in 2008. The number of people temporarily living in San Juan County with family or friends was 27 in 2012 and 68 in 2011 compared to 62 in 2006. Erin O’Dell, of Orcas Family Connections, said these statistics aren’t ideal because it’s hard to keep track of people without housing in the islands, so the statistics often vary based on the number of people who actually respond to the survey. What she does know is that the lack of housing is the number one problem that Orcas Family Connections cannot fix, other than to say, “I’m sorry.” Lack of housing trumps islanders’ needs of medical insurance, ferry tickets, food, energy assistance and mental health. There are programs to assist people in need of medical help, food, travel and even mental health, but when it comes to affordable housing there are plenty of wounds and few bandages. O’Dell estimates there is an average of 15 families a month in need of a place to live. She said there is a program that can give eligible families a boost of $500 for housing, but that rarely solves the problem. “It can help augment or help a household avoid
SEE HOUSING, PAGE 6
After numerous complaints about Wave2Go ticket theft, Washington State Ferries has changed its policies. Beginning June 15, ticket holders will no longer be able to use the 18-digit ticket number, but must have their ticket or photocopied ticket in-hand. “It’s a relatively easy fix for us,” said Marta Coursey, WSF director of communications. According to Coursey, WSF received about half a dozen complaints from Orcas Islanders who claimed that their Wave2Go passes were stolen. Only about 1 percent of state-wide ferry users purchase multi-use Wave2Go passes, but 5 to 10 percent of San Juan Island ferry travelers use the passes. Orcas Islander Peter Bohr purchased a five-ride ferry pass this spring and after using it only once, he was surprised when a ferry worker at the Anacortes terminal said he had zero uses left. Now Bohr is convinced that “thieves have breached the Washington State Ferries’ computer ticket system and are stealing unused rides.” Bohr said that his pass and purchase receipt had never been out of his possession, therefore no one could have copied his information and that someone must be infiltrating the ticket system. According to WSF, there is no evidence that someone is going into the ferry system and stealing tickets. “We can say with certainty that WSF’s credit card and IT systems have not been breached,” said Coursey. She would not speak to WSF security measures because she said it could “help someone abuse the system.” Coursey did say that WSF does not have the ability to verify a specific person abusing the system, which is why it changed its policy
to help ensure passes would not be stolen. “There could be a 100 ways to get the ticket number,” Coursey added. The San Juan County Sheriff ’s Office has interviewed persons of interest but no charges have been filed. Undersheriff Bruce Distler is confident that WSF’s policy change will be beneficial. “The fact that they have to present a hard copy should prevent theft if they secure their card,” said Distler. For islanders who are frequent ferry riders, the solution seems more like a punishment for those who rely on transcribing the ticket number. “It’s a lousy solution. It eliminates the ability to provide family or friends with our ticket numbers to get them across,” said Orcas Islander Amy Masters. “It also forces us to buy additional rides if one of us forgets the ticket at home. No more calling home for the ticket number.”
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