Begging is now legal in Sequim? (Republic: foreclosures, bankrupt, closing)

[MechAndy]

It has in my opinion as well.
When I first bought my place near here 4 years ago there was none of this.
You might at times seen this disgusting stuff in PA back then.
Yes I think and said that drug abuse is disgusting.

At first when I got here I use to say that the town of Sequim reminded me of what my hometown of Danville CA used to be in the late 60’s - early 70’s.
Not no more.
I can no longer say that.
I avoid taking my guests there due to being embarrassed by the beggars and addicts.
I could never live near the downtown area, nor would I feel comfortable if my daughter or mother lived near there because being exposed to drug addicts is not safe.
Seeing able bodies not wanting to take one of the many job opportunities that are available here and begging instead just sours me.
We do not have this problem in the California towns of Lafayette or Danville that I live or lived at.
I am at these 2 California towns every other month and have not seen this type of behavior.

How come we can’t have nice things here too?

[pnwguy2]

Let’s face it, society is breaking down. Yes, covid, but it goes deeper. Employers are not hiring. But prices and inflation are out of control. I am afraid we are headed for a recession, or even a depression. I hope that 2nd option never happens, but historically it could. Save your cash is my suggestion.

[rantiquity]

Originally Posted by MechAndy

It has in my opinion as well.
When I first bought my place near here 4 years ago there was none of this.
You might at times seen this disgusting stuff in PA back then.
Yes I think and said that drug abuse is disgusting.

At first when I got here I use to say that the town of Sequim reminded me of what my hometown of Danville CA used to be in the late 60’s - early 70’s.
Not no more.
I can no longer say that.
I avoid taking my guests there due to being embarrassed by the beggars and addicts.
I could never live near the downtown area, nor would I feel comfortable if my daughter or mother lived near there because being exposed to drug addicts is not safe.
Seeing able bodies not wanting to take one of the many job opportunities that are available here and begging instead just sours me.
We do not have this problem in the California towns of Lafayette or Danville that I live or lived at.
I am at these 2 California towns every other month and have not seen this type of behavior.

How come we can’t have nice things here too?

Having lived in Sequim for over 24 years I can recall panhandlers at the 101 on ramp at River road and at Walmart right after they built it. Don't remember any panhandlers in actual down town Sequim until very recently. Recently when I went to Subway there was a women asleep on the side walk by the door.

[rantiquity]

Originally Posted by pnwguy2

Let’s face it, society is breaking down. Yes, covid, but it goes deeper. Employers are not hiring. But prices and inflation are out of control. I am afraid we are headed for a recession, or even a depression. I hope that 2nd option never happens, but historically it could. Save your cash is my suggestion.

If we ever enter into a depression do you think cash will be worth saving?

[mayfair]

Everywhere in the PNW now you'll see panhandlers and the homeless, and addicts. Not even the small towns are immune. There's always been drug use and a few panhandlers at the freeway exits, but the open drug use, camps, and panhandlers in the downtown areas are new for many of the smaller towns, and they have no resources to deal with it. It's a very sad situation.

[MechAndy]

My family went through a rather large recession in Europe.
It was called WW11.
Cash was not worth that much.
Barter items like food, medicines and hunting tools were worth much more.

[CalWorth]

Originally Posted by mayfair

Everywhere in the PNW now you'll see panhandlers and the homeless, and addicts. Not even the small towns are immune. There's always been drug use and a few panhandlers at the freeway exits, but the open drug use, camps, and panhandlers in the downtown areas are new for many of the smaller towns, and they have no resources to deal with it. It's a very sad situation.

Thank you. This was what I was trying to point out. It's getting really bad. There are billboards and other signs in Port Angeles trying to recruit people to work at the medical Center, to become deputy sheriff, to become corrections officers at Clallam Bay prison. I have never seen anything like it. I don't see those signs in Sequim, I guess they just don't allow the signs, because Sequim is only a few miles from Port Angeles, it is also in Clallam County. Many more people have moved here, it drove up the cost of housing, but people, there is no infrastructure to help you.

Serenity House is a social service agency in Port Angeles. People are living in tents in their parking lot, & camped out across the street in a field.They put a couple of porta potties in the parking lot awhile back. This is in the middle of a residential district.

This is what is happening here. You will not read about this in the local newspapers.

[pnwguy2]

I think we are headed for a recession. I hope I am wrong. Get ready for dark times. Politically this will probably benefit Republicans. Ebb and flow.

[rkcarguy]

Originally Posted by CalWorth

Thank you. This was what I was trying to point out. It's getting really bad. There are billboards and other signs in Port Angeles trying to recruit people to work at the medical Center, to become deputy sheriff, to become corrections officers at Clallam Bay prison. I have never seen anything like it. I don't see those signs in Sequim, I guess they just don't allow the signs, because Sequim is only a few miles from Port Angeles, it is also in Clallam County. Many more people have moved here, it drove up the cost of housing, but people, there is no infrastructure to help you.

Serenity House is a social service agency in Port Angeles. People are living in tents in their parking lot, & camped out across the street in a field.They put a couple of porta potties in the parking lot awhile back. This is in the middle of a residential district.

This is what is happening here. You will not read about this in the local newspapers.

This is happening state wide. We're already in recession, Biden's trying to pretend we're not because of mid-terms. It's going to be an interesting recession because it's going on despite labor shortages. Some people are getting let go while others are demanding $140-$200/hour for trades work and have months of backlog. Jobs for police, medical staff, postal workers, even 6-figure refinery positions that used to see 100+ applicants are going unfilled.
There were always a few beggars in every town as long as I can remember, but this is not the same. Heck, we used to laugh at this one guy that would stand there with a "why lie I need a beer" sign, and he'd see us laughing and smile/laugh back, every once in awhile someone would toss him a beer and he'd turn his sign over where it said "bless you" lol. Now they are sitting there twitching, cussing, yelling, wild eyed, and even growling like satan, and you don't dare make eye contact.

[CalWorth]

^^ Of course there have always been beggars, drunk & drugged street people, violent people, psychotic people. I have not lived in a bubble. Where I lived before & how I earned a living exposed me plenty to the sordid side of life.

The Olympic Peninsula has been behind with what has been going on in the rest of the country. It has been something of a closed society, a flawed bubble, I suppose because of the relative geographic isolation and that had its good & bad points, & the continuous, notorious low wages, which the low QOL, plus questionable side gigs helped offset.

It is not like that anymore. It is like anywhere else. Low income retirees need to know...QOL now is huge, medical care is sparse, property & rent is high, drugged out homeless people are everywhere, law enforcement is paltry.