The Urban Reststop

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The Urban Reststop

Submitted by Crenshaw Sepulveda on Tue, 06/13/2006 - 10:45pm.

We have seen them as we travel our highways across our state or country. Every so many miles you will find the reststop. The facilities vary, but they are designed for travelers to, well, rest, visit the toilets, in some cases shower. It is not uncommon for people to be sleeping in their cars and trucks in the highway reststop. In our state you can often find free coffee (donations welcome) and a variety of snacks for free or by donation. I have yet to find public showers at any of the Washington reststops, but I haven't seen them all. By the way, beware of the rattle snakes at the reststop between Yakima and eburg. Yikes.

So I wasn't kidding about showers at the library. Think of it as an Urban Reststop. We provide facilities for those traveling on our highways, including a place to sleep. Why not provide such things for those in our urban areas? Transients are by their very nature "travelers". Tax payers pay for the highway reststops. A humane society would provide such facilities to our non-motorized travelers.

I see that such a place existed in Seattle. Not sure if it still exists, I'll do a follow up to see if the information is current. I do like the concept.
Here is the link.

My friends, I urge you to look at institutions and facilities that we make available to the non-homeless, at tax payer expense, and come up with ways to extend these services to our homeless brothers and sisters. It is fair, it is humane, it is the right thing. Urban Reststops. I will not stop here, I will not rest.

^@^

Crenshaw Sepulveda's blog
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When the sun goes down

Submitted by Crenshaw Sepulveda on Tue, 06/13/2006 - 11:32pm.

You go to most park and ride locations around the puget sound and they are packed with cars by 7 am, but by 6 pm they are ghost towns. Lots of land going unused half the time. Can it be such a crime to let "car campers" use these park and rides to get some sleep in the urban areas. Would it be so horrible to provide some hygiene facilities in these huge expanses of land? This is not rocket science, this is just full utilization of our resources in a fair and humane way. Need I add inclusive and empowering?

"I would make it impossible for the covetous and avaricious to utterly impoverish the poor. The rich can take care of themselves."
^@^

Wow.

Submitted by Meta Hogan on Wed, 06/14/2006 - 12:14am.

I am going to write you in for President. Your ideas make my brain come alive. And, though I never thought I was a coward, you write things that I have not dared to think. I am now embarking on a slow and frightening journey of mind-untangling. Sort of like yoga, for the synapses. Soon I too will be able to channel the voice of synchronicity without cringing in anticipation of the negative response. Damn the caimans, and full speed ahead!
^@^

What about the workers?

Submitted by CIAGuy on Wed, 06/14/2006 - 6:48am.

Someone in this whole library discussion, not this thread, expressed their respect for the library staff. My question, do you think they went to library school or wanted to work in a library so they could clean showers? This is not what libraries are for. "A circulating library in a town is an evergreen tree of diabolical knowledge!" Richard Brinsley Sheridan

jacks of all trades

Submitted by Crenshaw Sepulveda on Wed, 06/14/2006 - 10:55am.

It has been my experience that librarians and other library professionals and non-professionals tend to be jacks of all trades and also, depending on the system the work for, very overworked. It is my greatest wish that our library employees could devote all of their time to their actual mission. It is true that the library hires custodians and people from other trades to handle much of the non-library related tasks. Don't let the librarians fool you, however. Many is the time I'm seen them respond to puking and incontinence problems that sometimes occur in the library. In the end the librarians want the library to be a great place for everyone, they will not wait for the night custodian to come in to deal with a problem that occurs during the day.

My proposal for the shower and laundry at the library was for it to be built on the grounds of the new library. I'm sure an attractive design could be drawn up. Funding for it could come from other sources other than the budget for the building of the new library, but I would not be adverse to the library getting a grant to provide such a facility. I expressly stated the shower-laundry would be staffed by volunteers. In no way would I expect the library to staff and pay for the staffing.

These are small seeds I'm trying to plant. To be sure, the ability to shower and wash clothing is extremely important for people that are trying to get back on their feet. The social payback on such a small program will, without a doubt, provide huge dividends to the community.

"I would make it impossible for the covetous and avaricious to utterly impoverish the poor. The rich can take care of themselves."
^@^

It's humane and the "right

Submitted by The Fire Inside on Wed, 06/14/2006 - 7:17am.

It's humane and the "right thing," but it's far from fair.

Fair is paying for (or contributing to) a service. For instance, if you go out to dinner with a group of friends, it's not fair that one person pick-up the tab.

Everyone who ordered a meal would pay in the amount of services they have ordered (e.g. if you ordered $40 worth of food, you pay $40 plus tip).

The situation you described is to equivalent to ordering $40 worth of food and making the other three people pick-up your tab.

Some people believe in

Submitted by Jade on Wed, 06/14/2006 - 9:00am.

Some people believe in fairness and some believe in justice.

Out of the Harvard online

Submitted by Norm on Wed, 06/14/2006 - 10:32am.

Out of the Harvard online dictionary:

*the quality of being just or fair

*the administration of law; the act of determining rights and assigning rewards or punishments

I believe in fairness, and justice. I also believe in self-sufficiency, and charity. Sometimes people become lost, and becoming self-sufficient again can be a hard journey. One of the first steps is gaining employment, which means meeting with people, and presenting yourself in the best light that you possibly can. If I can pay taxes towards a public shower, I will, if for no other reason than to get people off on the right foot in the morning. I've had company show up to my place on a day off before I've showered, it's nothing short of embarassing. I can't imagine having to walk around public feeling that way. I think it would benefit the greater Olympia area to have a facility like this. I feel that this could be a great public resource. Put it downtown next to the fountain that everyone plays in during the summer. I'd be willing to let my lawn get a little brown during the summer in order to keep people clean. HEY maybe we could scrap this "nuclear free ordinance" and put the monetary difference into the project

Way to GO, Norm!

Submitted by Meta Hogan on Wed, 06/14/2006 - 10:37am.

I shouldn't be surprised, should I? You really hit the nail on the head, there. It's about what can we as a community do that would really make a difference for people. It doesn't have to be expensive, unsightly, or solely for The Homeless. I like the idea of putting it by the fountain; that way everyone will want to use it and it will actually be a PUBLIC facility.

Social good

Submitted by Crenshaw Sepulveda on Wed, 06/14/2006 - 11:15am.

The reason that states fund reststops is for the social good. Tired drivers, drivers straining to hold back urine or worse, are a menace on the road. Provide the proper facilities on the road for drivers and you have safer highways. In some ways I'm amazed that government actually provides such facilities. I'm sure that TFI would want these things made private and run by some truck stop corporation. But keeping it free means that people actually use the facilities (in some cases beyond the capacity of the reststop). Drive by a reststop at 6 am and you will see it overflowing with truckers parked for a nap.

Again, this is something funded by the government for the public good. Alas it is only for the class of the public that drives our highways. I'm saying it is fair to also provide for the classes that are not driving our highways with similar facilities. We have a fairly good model with the roadside reststops.

"I would make it impossible for the covetous and avaricious to utterly impoverish the poor. The rich can take care of themselves."
^@^

I think it's a lousy argument.

Submitted by Meta Hogan on Wed, 06/14/2006 - 9:04am.

I'm glad I don't hang out with TFI. Most of my friends are willing to cover a meal, and it's reciprocal. The point isn't "whether someone forces me to pay $40" but "whether I have a good time and can invite all my friends". In this case, I don't think the library should fund it, necessarily. Like I said in another thread, the provision-of-necessary-services aspect could probably apply for a grant. And, no, CIAguy, the librarians would not have to clean the restroom. They'd actually do less bathroom-cleaning, because fewer people would be using the library bathroom. I think we could get a few staff positions to manage the extra non-library aspects, and volunteers would surely come help out. C'mon, guys, loosen up a little. ^@^

Just curious...

Submitted by Meta Hogan on Wed, 06/14/2006 - 9:06am.

Does anyone know for sure where the current library funding comes from?

library funding

Submitted by Crenshaw Sepulveda on Wed, 06/14/2006 - 10:37am.

From the TRL web site:

TRL is funded almost totally by property taxes with some timber revenue.

"I would make it impossible for the covetous and avaricious to utterly impoverish the poor. The rich can take care of themselves."
^@^

Timber Revenue

Submitted by Jade on Wed, 06/14/2006 - 10:42am.

Ha ha. That's good.

1/10 cent for libraries

Submitted by Crenshaw Sepulveda on Wed, 06/14/2006 - 11:05am.

I would like the Olympia library to have a special 1/10 cent chunk of the county sales tax. A scheme like the Intercity Transit gets. I'd add 1/10 cent to the sales tax and ear mark it to the Timberland Libraries in Thurston county. IT has been getting pretty fat off this sales tax money. Believe me they love the new walmarts and big box stores. Quite in fact everyone at IT is so happy with the new big box stores and they money they have been bringing in and and they realize what poor shape transit would be in without the money Think of it as your ride being sponsored by Wal-Mart. I don't like big box stores, I'm not crazy about IT's management of the bus system. I am in favor of a funding system that utilizes the economy we have. We can argue about Walmart and IT in another posting.

"I would make it impossible for the covetous and avaricious to utterly impoverish the poor. The rich can take care of themselves."
^@^

Another great example...

Submitted by Jade on Wed, 06/14/2006 - 11:01am.

of an Urban Reststop sort of philosophy is the Sisters of the Road cafe in Portland. I think there was some interest on the part of the Olympia homeless community in creating an Urban Reststop type place four or five years ago. Maybe the tent city folks would be interested in that model, Phil.

One thing that I loved...

Submitted by Rick on Wed, 06/14/2006 - 11:13am.

...about travelling in Russia (back when I was a young thing) was that there was a public bath house in EVERY SINGLE LITTLE TOWN. You could go in and spend all afternoon soaking, steaming, scrubbing every inch of your body, and then read the paper. Cost: 2-3 cents. Very civilized.

communal bathing

Submitted by Crenshaw Sepulveda on Wed, 06/14/2006 - 11:31am.

I am a big fan of the communal bath, but I will go on about it in another blog entry. Suffice to say that fairness and civility are things that appeal to me greatly. In many parts of the world these concepts are better embraced than they are here in the USA. Does that make a nation great? Not always, but the fact that a nation trys shows you its heart is in the right place. We need more heart here in the USA, which is often fond of referring to its great people in the "Heartland". I guess I'm saying that we have to be the heart here in Cascadia. The "heartland" has just been resting on its laurels far too long, and not showing much heart.

"I would make it impossible for the covetous and avaricious to utterly impoverish the poor. The rich can take care of themselves."
^@^

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