Daniel Hester is homeless and spends his nights sheltered by a tarp in Oak Harbor. Nights right now can be bone chilling and damp, fraught with dangers inherent to existing on handouts.

Originally from Tennesee, Hester fell on hard times, disconnected from family and ended up on the streets. At 51 and disabled, his prospects of returning to the rank and file of the working class appear dismal.

Hester is not beaten by circumstance, however, and is a very cordial fellow with an abundance of optimism about the kindness of strangers.

“Oak Harbor has a lot of generous people,” he said while panhandling in the downtown area. “You don’t get a lot of people harassing you here. Sometimes some young people will yell ‘get a job’ and I tell them this is my job. Mostly, I mind my own business … and I don’t yell back.”

Hester, an individual living on the streets and asking for handouts, does not fall within the scope of the typical homeless person here on Whidbey Island.

The issue of homelessness in Island County has become more complicated. Defining who is “homeless” and what aid, if any, can be afforded them is becoming increasingly complex. Families, the mentally ill or elderly persons displaced without refuge or means of support are now listed as homeless.

Both federal and state budget cuts have hurt those in need. There are several gaps in homeless services as identified by the Island County Homeless Task Force in the county’s newly-adopted Homeless Housing Plan.

The task force plan sets forth the goal of reducing the number of homeless persons and families in Island County by 50 percent by 2015.

There are those who might say Island County does not need to spend time or resources on this issue. The statistical information about homeless people in this community shows that homelessness is not a critical problem at the moment.

The Homeless Housing Plan would cost a total of $107,887 in staffing and administrative costs for 2006. Part of the plan calls for $37,000 for home matching services with the Whidbey Island Share-A-Home program.

“If they’re going to provide 100 homes that’s one thing, 20 homes may not be worth it,” Island County Commissioner Mac McDowell said at a recent county staff session. “I question the value of spending $1,200 in (administrative costs) per home placement.”

The bulk of the funds are earmarked for the Island County Opportunity Council and the Whidbey Island Share-A-Home programs. The money will assist 50 families and over 25 individuals find transitional housing.

A recent national study shows that families are now the fastest growing segment of the homeless population, accounting for almost 39 percent of the nation’s homeless.

The Homeless Task Force report shows a population of 84 homeless people on Whidbey Island in 2005. This population is mostly made up of homeless families with children. A count in January conducted by the Whidbey Island Opportunity Council puts the homeless total higher at 148. Those numbers account for the “unsheltered” people only, according to the Opportunity Council. The total number of homeless may be much more. Some people move from house to house, living with friends and relatives as space is available.

“Homelessness and rent assistance has gone up quite a bit. We’re swamped,” said Julia Sopaski of the Opportunity Council, describing an increase in requests for help.

A long-term plan developed by the task force advises there should be more outreach in the community, more supportive housing and a “homeless housing specialist” to prevent evictions. These steps are considered necessary to deal with the projected homeless population in the next ten years.

“People always think of people in boxes living under a bridge. No, here we have mostly families,” Sopaski said. “Housing prices are going up but wages are not.”

“There has also been a rise in older folks who are homeless,” Sopaski added.

Sopaski remains optimistic about helping those families in need. “We have been pretty successful because we work with the Island County Housing Authority providing transitional housing,” she said.

Whidbey Island does not face the epidemic of homelessness that higher population centers do. In Seattle, during a one-night count in 2003, researchers found over 7,500 homeless people. Other metropolitan areas have fared much worse. Los Angeles had an estimated 91,000 homeless people in 2005.

The Island County Homeless Housing Task Force’s ten-year plan also advocates for increased support for the Washington Families Fund and recommends that policy makers “view homelessness as a disaster just as devastating as hurricanes, earthquakes or other natural disasters.”

For those who live without the certainty, personal protection and shelter of a home, changing their circumstances becomes a matter of survival.

How to find help

Individuals or families in need of housing can contact: Island County Opportunity Council, 791 NE 1st Ave., PO Box 922, Oak Harbor WA 98277. Call 679-6577, 800-317-5427, or fax 360-679-2440.

Or, contact the Housing Authority of Island County, 7 NW 6th Street, Coupeville WA 98239-3400. Call 678-4181.