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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2015 | Vol. 91, No. 6 | www.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.com | 75¢
Island Transit board sees new leadership By JESSIE STENSLAND South Whidbey Record
Kate Daniel / The Record
Carol Stuart, Kenedi, Titan and Jennifer Cambra lack permanent housing and were staying at the Harbor Inn through Christmas. Families like theirs will be among those counted in the annual point in time homeless count.
Homelessness remains a problem on South End County, private groups to quantify issue with count By KATE DANIEL South Whidbey Record All Jennifer Cambra wanted for Christmas was a home for her family, enough gas to drive her ailing mother to the doctor and a sense of security for her 10-year-old twins. A series of unfortunate and unforeseeable events had transpired rendering the family of four — Cambra, her elderly mother Carol Stuart and twins Kenedi and Titan — homeless and penniless. “Everything just sort of collapsed on me,” Cambra said. Individuals like Cambra will be amongst those counted during South Whidbey’s annual homeless point-intime count. The nationwide event takes place on one day each January and is an effort to take a count of the number of individuals who are without permanent shelter within each community. South Whidbey’s count will take place on Jan. 29. Specific duties will be delegated to volunteers in order to attempt to get the most accurate count possible. Some will ride the bus, asking riders to fill out a voluntary survey. Others will go to known campsites or gathering places
while some will be stationed at Bayview Hall from 1-6 p.m., offering free meals, back rubs, clothing, hair cuts and other services. The count’s primary purpose is to get an idea of just how many people are homeless, but it’s also a chance to learn more about why people are struggling, people like Cambra and her family. In their case, they are fairly new residents hit with a series of problems that left them living in a leaky trailer. According to aid organizations like the Suitcase Clinic, “Homelessness is a temporary condition that people fall into when they cannot afford to pay for a place to live, or when their current home is unsafe or unstable.” Cambra had purchased a fifth wheeler with what little money she had left upon arriving on South Whidbey. But the relief to have “kind of a home” of their own was short-lived. Heavy rainfall caused the mobile home to leak “like no other” during the night, rendering it uninhabitable and severely water damaged. “We were scared,” said Cambra as she tearfully recalled her attempts to remedy
Island Transit is changing gears for 2015. After a year marked by controversy and trouble, the transportation agency’s staff and board of directors are going full speed ahead with what may turn out to be some major changes later this year. Staff members came up with a plan to restore some of the service that was lost because of surprise budget problems in 2014. They will hold a series of community meetings to gather public input beginning Jan. 26. In addition, the five-person board of directors has a new chairman who promises, or
at least leans toward, quick action. The largely new board met this past Friday for the first time this year and adopted an ambitious plan that includes a serious look into charging fares on busses and even a discussion about working with another transit agency to take over service on Camano Island. Oak Harbor Councilman Rick Almberg and Island County commissioners Jill Johnson and Rick Hannold sat as new members on the board; they replace Oak Harbor Mayor Scott Dudley and commissioners Helen Price Johnson and Aubrey SEE TRANSIT, A20
Rep. Larsen backs base, touts transportation By BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record
the situation. “We couldn’t even sleep on a corner of the bed, the blankets were so soaked,” said Cambra as she wiped tears from her eyes. Cambra and the family sought shelter in a friend’s trailer until the Readiness to Learn Foundation helped them move, temporarily, into the motel for the holidays. “I can’t express how much of a desperate situation we’re in right now,” said Cambra, during a Christmas interview. “We’re pretty much in a crisis.” The fifth wheeler was permanently damaged, Cambra said. The floors have holes, the walls are water damaged and mold-ridden. The floors are unstable and rotting. “I’m more stressed about my kids and my mom than I am myself,” said Cambra. Cambra first spoke with Gail LaVassar, executive director of the Readiness to Learn Foundation, when LaVassar called to schedule an appointment for Titan and Kenedi to come by the Holiday House for Christmas gifts.
A few months after winning re-election, Congressman Rick Larsen touted transportation as his focus this year and maintained his advocacy of NAS Whidbey Island during a visit to Langley Saturday. Rep. Larsen, D-Everett, swung by the Village by the Sea as part of his first community coffee. The talk was also a chance to hear from constituents of the Second Congressional District, which spans San Juan and Island counties and includes parts of Whatcom, Skagit and Snohomish counties. Larsen gave a short presentation of things he’s working on, such as the bill being criticized for “gutting” the Dodd-Frank financial reforms, the Keystone pipeline, immigration and campaign finance reform. Larsen supported the financial reforms bill, despite claims that it takes away several provisions and safeguards created after the financial crisis almost a decade ago. “I think the attention it’s getting is greater than it deserves,” Larsen told the crowd of about 50 people gathered in the back room of Useless Bay Coffee Company, complete with orders being uttered over the speaker from time to time, interrupting Larsen and others. Speaking against the Citizens United decision, which removed the restrictions of political contributions by a nonprofit corporation, and has since been extended to for-profit companies, Larsen drew a round of applause from the crowd. “It is a wrong decision, I thought,” Larsen said, adding that he rejected the omnibus bill last year because of a provision that allowed for private and corporate donors to give “well
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