Housing Hope, its CEO’s work has been vital to county

Published 1:30 am Sunday, October 30, 2022

I have followed the growth of support for our less advantaged members of our communities for years under the leadership of Fred Safstrom (“Housing Hope CEO reflects on 25-year career helping unsheltered people,” The Herald, Oct. 5). Fred is a tireless community contributor who sees the reality of homelessness and who will be sorely missed. A recent letter refuted Fred’s perspective which amazed me after knowing how he is immersed in the issues.

As a former educator for more than four decades, I have seen the truth in Fred’s perspective. Homelessness happens sometimes overnight; tragedies happen to families that pull the financial rug out from under them. Parents go to prison or are diagnosed with terminal health problems and leave the rest of the family on their own to survive. Even with education and luck, families are working in low-paying jobs that can’t keep up with our increasing cost of living..

Some homelessness can be a result of bad choices, but so much else comes from various life happenings to people not making bad choices. Support is meant to be temporary until they can get back on their feet. Skills are taught by organizations like Housing Hope to contribute to the help they are receiving, and to ready them for the future.

Thank goodness for people like Fred and his staff, and other community contributors, who see the real reasons and needs.

June Shirey

Marysville