Driving through Bellingham by big empty schools, malls and old buildings during the great covid shutdown got me thinking how sad and empty they looked. Yet the students still managed to get their education by using the internet through apps like zoom. Although it still needed some tweaking to work well, especially for students with no internet access (simple, provide them internet); overall it was tolerable.
That's when I thought, if this could be done during covid why not on a part time basis where students at least still attend on a part time basis, like only have students go to school 2 days a week; therefore fit more students/per school by attending different days. After all great minds have been talking about remote working, so why not remote education: we're in the 21st century, so why not act like it. These days, colleges, universities and trade schools are already engaged in online learning so why not pre college, like high schools? Nevertheless, all this would require moving budgets between local departments, perhaps state or even federal funding based on implementation and finally success. However it would definitely run into friction from bureaucrats and short sighted people. But the benefits would be immense and well worth it.
(1) It would be better for the environment, thus a smaller carbon footprint: There would be less need for all these schools and buses and parents driving students to school everyday polluting the environment.
(2) Less diseases being spread amongst the students.
(3) In many cases schools seem to breed bad cultural problems, it's where many students get introduced to drugs, etc. Thus less time there and more at home means less time getting negative influences.
As I had mentioned in my previous Part I article, "Half of the Homeless Have Mental Issues", mental hospitals were shut down in the 80's & 90's due to abuses and their replacement, community mental hospitals while successful were "pork barreled" out of funding; and so these people are on the streets suffering and tormenting neighborhoods, and it's getting exponentially worse. Just research the local newspapers and even more so Nextdoor.
Thus these extra empty campuses, and old factory buildings or failing malls could be used in 2 different ways to solve very important issues plaguing today's 21st century society. Afterall sooner or later homeless break some kind of law, and could be given these options instead of jail – the choice would be fully theirs.
Perhaps one campus could be used as community mental hospitals and housing to house the homeless with mental and/or drug/alcohol addiction problems.
(a) The parking lots could allow for homeless with Rvs providing they abide by the rules.
(b) To keep neighborhoods or businesses with these campuses from being tormented, the patients would not be allowed to leave, except by field trip style bus transportation which would be boarded inside gates. Perhaps one day a week, or whatever works.
(c) Thus on the inside as well as the outside, these places would be clean, and privacy fences would keep their presence from even being seen and felt so as not to disturb or bring down the value of the neighboring residences.
(d) While inside there would be perhaps, gardens, maybe even farming to help patients learn and enjoy outdoor activities and fresh air. It might sound like some quirky idea but the benefits would be amazing.
And let's not forget the homeless who don't have these issues: Perhaps one school, restored old factory building or failed mall can be used as a homeless shelter for those that are screened and found not to have mental and/or drug/alcohol addiction problems.
(a)Therefore these would deal with people that have found themselves in dire straits: A bad financial state due to injury and/or loss of employment, etc. Again these would not be people with mental and/or addiction problems.
(b) The parking lots could allow for homeless with Rvs providing they abide by the rules. And just as in Campus #1 the entire facility and parking would be behind a privacy fence.
(c) Perhaps these people could be required to help with the other mentally ill campus as part of their room and board. Maybe they could learn a new kind of occupation to help them get on their feet.
(d) Perhaps some of these people could be put to cleaning up our roads and highways. These days they are filthy and unacceptable.
(1) There would be no homeless on the streets suffering, pooping, urinating, throwing trash and/or needles and or committing thefts.
(2) There would be no drug addicted and/or mentally ill people tormenting people walking the streets downtown or neighborhoods.
(3) There will no longer be situations where home owners and renters are complaining that their neighborhoods are becoming dangerous and intolerable for their children, and themselves with biohazard waste where their children walk to go to school or play.
(4) There won't be as much theft at local businesses and neighborhoods.
(5) The police will be able to bring these people to these shelters once found breaking laws and/or suffering and choosing such a campus over jail.
(6) As this progresses, police will have more and more time to deal with real criminal activity. So criminal activity will start to decrease.
(7) And finally, homeless, especially the drug addicted and or mentally ill won't be drawn here for free service because most want their freedom. I've heard this complaint from neighbors, more recently on nextdoor, over and over again: That “Bellingham draws these people here.”
In conclusion, we can either choose to be civilized and do the right humanitarian thing which helps everyone, or ignore the ever growing problems and look like a paradise turned nightmare/anarchy by history. The choice is up to us, we owe it to the younger generations as well as to ourselves. So write to your local, state & congressional legislatures.
Part I "Half of the Homeless Have Mental Issues"
By Chief Editor Angelo-Lk-Whatcom-Rider-Writer, originally published in another publication in 2023
About The writer: I've lived in Bellingham since February, 2011, and love the beautiful trees & greenery producing all that oxygen, and of course, the lake, bay, hills and mountains too. I've also been in the lovely Anacortes area for part of that time, going back and forth, since moving here.
Educational/Professional Background: Economics & Political Science Degrees at UCF. Attended Graduate School of Economics at FSU, and have worked for the FL Labor Dept as well as consulted for the FL Labor Dept on behalf of the US Labor Dept. I've been happily working in my own businesses since 1993.