Homeless: New president could magnify problem

Our country has chosen a president whose economic policies have sent many into panic. If they do spell disaster for us, those with less will be hit the hardest.

Times of economic uncertainty can push precariously housed people to become homeless; we very well may be seeing a rise in our homeless population over the next four to eight years. While Tacoma is relatively ahead of the curve when it comes to services that address homelessness and prevent housing loss, we mustn't let that fact stop progress.

In times of economic crisis, we could easily become like San Francisco, which astoundingly just voted to clear tents on sidewalks and failed to provide more funding for housing. We must keep doing better for homeless people in the foreseeable future; a starting point could be our lack of a shelter exclusively for LGBT individuals.

It is more important now than ever for us to come together for our most vulnerable citizens.

This story was originally published November 21, 2016 at 4:18 PM with the headline "Homeless: New president could magnify problem."