Note to Reader: What you are about to read is one homeless woman’s account of why she is homeless. This individual consented to the interview and could refuse to answer any questions. This is her story; take it as you will.
She spent last Friday night at the corner of Thurston and Washington, not far from the Olympia Union Gospel Mission.
Asked why she hadn’t stayed at the mission, she muttered something about not feeling safe, that she needed to have space to run away if she needed to. Then she asked, “Do you have any water to give me?”
Once she had received a bottle, she volunteered that her name was Cade. She declined to give her last name.
Asked where she was from, she replied that she had recently traveled from Tacoma to Olympia to get away from a bad home situation. She appeared to this reporter to be about 20 years old.
“I got tired to being kicked and slapped around,” she began, “and that’s been going on for most of my life.”
Asked if the abuse had come at the hands of family and/or friends, Cade would not say. “I just wanted to get out of there, so I came here.”
Moments later she stood up, pulled up her slacks, put on and tied her shoes and said she was going to walk around Olympia looking for discarded items to use. When asked what she would use what she found, Cade replied that she would know when she found them.
“I kinda have a sixth sense about this; I like to find things and then figure out how to use them,” she said as she walked away.
About 30 minutes later she was behind the OlyMEGA Makerspace pacing around and using a small flashlight to look at what looked like cardboard cutouts.
“I might be able to do something with these,” said Cade with a smile as she began to walk toward 4th Avenue.
“Maybe today will be my lucky day; it sure beats going back to Tacoma.”
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Boatyarddog
Olympia while good to homelessness, needs to be MUCH more outgoing and helpful to tgis population.
Tuesday, February 13 Report this