The level of need is growing

Thank you for your series “Invisible families: the homeless you don’t see.” As CEO/president of a nonprofit working to end family homelessness, I’ve heard people asking, “Is this accurate? What can we do?” The answers are “yes” and “speak out.”

In 20 years at Wellspring, I’ve never witnessed such levels of need. We currently get four times as many calls for housing assistance than we can handle. The articles revealed widespread capacity overload at shelters and in low-income housing and services.

They also highlighted the results the nonprofit community achieves with limited resources. They accurately described what our client families struggle with daily: not enough affordable housing, a widening gap between minimum wage and a livable wage, and cuts to subsidies for affordable child care.

We all understand how the economic downturn affects state and local budgets. Still, we in the nonprofit sector know that while reducing support to vulnerable families may be an attractive response to a budget crisis, it is not smart — nor is it cost-saving in the long run.

We urge all Times readers to stay informed and get involved as advocates for affordable housing, livable wages, and child care — so that even the “invisible” children have opportunities to thrive.

— Ruthann Howell, CEO/president, Wellspring Family Services, Seattle