Over three weeks ago “LIHI Staff Replaces Nickelsville” headlines

were the rage in Seattle.  But someone forgot to tell Nickelodeons it was time to give up.  Now it’s Saturday, April 6th and Nickelodeons are still self-managing their Tiny House Villages.

On Tuesday the Seattle Human Services Department—who pushed LIHI to push Nickelsville out—asked and were granted permission by the Nickelsville Central Committee to meet campers. They sent out HSD Staffers Jackie St. Louis and Lisa Gustaveson.  First up was Othello.

On Wednesday night over half of Othello Village’s adults crowded into their kitchen tent to explain why they had refused to stand down for LIHI.  Painful stories were told:  LIHI Case Managers showing preference for campers they went out drinking with, Case Manager threats to “Stop what you’re doing or you’re never going to get housing,”  and Case Managers cajoling Nickelodeons to write up false complaints about Nickelsville Leaders that Case Mangers didn’t like—there was plenty of testimony.

 Over and over, participants told heartbreaking stories of neglect, retaliation, and abuse. A mother at the first village whose Case Manager knew she had an outstanding warrant was arrested and jailed for three days.  While she was being held the Case Manager tried to evict the mother from her tiny house.  Fortunately, elected Nickelsville Leadership intervened. 

A man leaned on a cane as he reported his first meeting with a new Case Manager who’d had her car broken into and items stolen in the village’s neighborhood.  The Case Manager demanded to be let inside to search each tiny house for her stolen belongings, but was stopped by elected Leadership.  The same Case Manager wanted to evict a family with a child from their tiny house and into a tent.  Thankfully, our elected Nickelsville leadership stepped in again to prevent this appalling abuse of power.

While Case Management malfeasance was most prevalent at Othello, the next night a participant at another village said they were told by a LIHI Case Manger that as a queer person they could not access LIHI housing.  When a mother about to get custody of her child pointed out that the new Services Agreement prohibits children in that village the HSD employees told her the it was just a “typo.” (which had already been  signed off on by LIHI’s Executive Director.) Another mother had been offered a one-bedroom apartment for herself and her 14 year old son.  When she turned it down the LIHI Case Manager stopped working with her. 

A woman recounted that she was called “lazy” by her Case Manager.

A member of Nickelsville’s Leadership Team at one village was promptly dumped by his Case Manager after he dared to  speak up about LIHI’s mismanagement and meddling in village business.

An emotional young man who has no medical issues, disabilities, or addictions, expressed his deep concern about the contract’s goal of moving people out after 90 days.  It was made even more concerning because the Services Agreement requires everyone to undergo a ranking system that will place him at the bottom for housing.  Comparable individuals have been given a timeline of 8-12 years before getting housing.

The young man’s fears of being squeezed out are reasonable.  Sharon Lee, the Executive Director of LIHI,  has repeatedly complained about people “lingering” at the tiny house villages and making them a “lifestyle.”  Even if LIHI is capable of finding housing it will be a “take it or leave here” offer, whether the housing is in Kent, Concrete, or Timbuktu.  (After LIHI took over at Licton Springs they reneged on their promise to find everyone permanent housing before it closed.)

Angry Nickelodeons at all villages who sought Case Management described being stymied by the constant turnover and complete absence of Case Managers for two, three, and four months at a time.  In a year and a half at Othello Village one man met with a Case Manager less than a half dozen times.  At Georgetown Village one man’s voice trembled as he told the visitors about his worry over the lack of Case Management for the people with medical issues at his village. Sitting near him, a disabled woman who uses a CPAP machine revealed she had pleaded for a stronger electrical hookup that wouldn’t trip the circuit breaker as she tried to sleep but was completely ignored by LIHI’s Case Managers.

Some asked about the apparent disappearance and misuse of money designated for Nickelsville that never arrived.  While Nickelsville has repeatedly asked to see LIHI’s Income and Expense Reports for the villages LIHI has kept them secret from Nickelsville for years.  If money was paid to LIHI for Case Managers and there were long stretches without Case Management, a participant inquired, where did the money go?

HSD expressed shock and surprise. If HSD isn’t monitoring LIHI’s spending, lack of Case Management, and substandard Case Management who is?

Nickelsville’s empowering self-management was cited numerous times as why participants value Nickelsville and thrive at Nickelsville.  Still, the Human Service’s Department’s two employees had no difficulty looking everyone in the eye as they falsely claimed self-management would be preserved after a LIHI takeover.  They denied what all could see in the copies of the Management Plan held in their hands that very moment:  “The Low Income Housing Institute has oversight, review, and repeal authority over any decisions.”

The new LIHI Management Plan doesn’t just state this once, they state it repeatedly.  It even denies leaders and security workers the power to bar individuals posing imminent danger to the villagers until they inform LIHI Staff.   Nickelodeons at the three meetings pointed out the fact that under the LIHI/HSD Management Plan democracy at Nickelsville would be replaced with free labor, participants limited to menial chores like emptying the trash, mopping the floors, and picking up litter. 

As each meeting drew to a close some drifted away in disgust, others shook with anger.  The two HSD staffers took the remaining Nickelodeons’ politeness as acquiescence and acceptance of a future system of LIHI control and dominance.

From these visits Nickelodeons saw that HSD staff are usually polite.  In real time Nickelodeons shared dozens of disturbing incidents and bad behavior.  In real time they saw, in HSD staff people Jackie and Lisa’s responses, a lack of principles on which to base humane and sensible judgements, and a lack of ability or interest in evaluating the competence of case managers or their supervisors. 

The painful conclusion is that HSD isn’t going to solve the problem, which is no surprise.  Nickelodeons already knew HSD is a large part of the problem of unfairness and injustice facing us.  We must seek solutions to our challenges elsewhere.