The homeless are people. They are like you and me. They are someone’s mother, father, sister, brother, daughter, or son. They have dignity. If they are part of the 7.5% with mental health issues, they need medication, counseling services, or both. If they are part of the 7.8% with severe addiction issues they need counseling and rehabilitation services. If they are part of the 8.5% who are victims of domestic violence, they need safety and shelter. If they are part of the other 76.2% of homeless people, they just need shelter from the weather, maybe a meal, and likely a warm bed. Some are just kids. Seventeen percent of the homeless are under eighteen years of age, 4.7% are unaccompanied minors. There is no reason anyone should be homeless in a community of abundance, especially kids. All of them need to see a way out of the situation they are in. Thousands of families, though, are just one paycheck, one hospital visit, or one greedy landlord turning their house into a B&B away from being homeless. The Whidbey Homeless Coalition is here to help these people find a way into a stable and clean living space.