Hard Times

It increasingly seems like it doesn't matter where in the world you live, many people are experiencing particularly hard times right now.

Close-up of cactus spines

I live in a relatively small town of about 10,000 people here in the US Pacific Northwest, and you wouldn't normally associate smaller towns with the troubles of the greater world.

And yet?

Here in our little town we have a tented village or "homeless encampment" that has been around for quite a long time, but was sadly shut down by police today because the land owners want to develop the land.

Having been born and grown up in Denmark seeing something like this — even after 40 years here — with so many unhoused individuals in what is supposedly the world's richest society is shocking.

Not long ago, I read in our local paper that just in our county of about 34,000 people, there are over 1000 homeless and unsheltered people. That's close to 3% of the population.

Although some of the unsheltered are homeless for mental health issues, many are living in tents simply because the apartments they were renting for $300 just 10 years ago are now renting for $1,500 or more, whicle their incomes might have risen from $1,000/month to maybe $1,250/month during the same time.

If you only make $1,250, a $1,500 apartment isn't part of your reality.

Back when I still lived in Denmark such a thing as "homelessness" wasn't something you even thought about. Sure occasionally you'd see the local town drunk sleeping outside on a bench or in the train station, but such a person was hardly a permanent fixture just an occasional thing.

Ironically, while I was still a university student I ended up homeless, myself. At least it was (thankfully) during the summer and it was only for a few months, but I had no place to live after the semester ended in May and my lease expired... so I ended up sleeping in a wooded area of the local municipal golf course.

I managed to stay relatively well fed by collecting and turning in bottles and aluminum cans at the local supermarket — they were plentiful in the many bins around the golf course. But it's not an experience I'd like to repeat!

Hard times are hitting a lot of people in the States, these days. And it's not really because anyone is doing anything wrong, it's simply because we have a unsustainable situation: The cost of living — and particularly housing — is rising about five times faster than real incomes. Sometimes people just get sick, the the cost of their medical treatment puts them out on the street.

So people end up simply not being able to afford to not be homeless.

I have come to recognize "homeless cars" when I walk through the supermarket parking lot. You can tell someone is living in them because of the way they are packed full, and often have lots of bedding and towels in the back seat.

The other day, I even saw a kitten in a small cat bed, sunning itself in the rear of a station wagon.

Something is seriously wrong with this place...

Thanks for coming by, and have a great remainder of your week!

How about YOU? Is there a homlessness problem where you are? Have YOU ever been homeless? Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — Not posted elsewhere!)

Created at 2025.11.03 23:49 PST
x1010/2244