Grays Harbor Commissioners want ideas for saving the county money? Commissioners Kevin Pine and Jill Warne could start by not turning up their noses at $1.5 million for a homeless shelter!

They say they don’t want the grant because it is “low-barrier.” Mr. Pine claims that “by going the way of a low barrier shelter, it has been proven for the last decade that it’s not effective.” We have a growing number of unhoused people in our county. Many are already housing themselves in “low-barrier” situations on sidewalks, in parks, under bridges in unoccupied buildings. True — these low-barrier locations have not been effective for the last decade, because the number of people in need of shelter has obviously increased.

Commissioners Warne and Pine say they want another type of shelter for our fellow citizens in need. Fine. Why don’t we accept the gift of$1.5 million as a start? That will surely save the county money while we provide support to homeless people now. Otherwise, the other citizens of our county will be providing the shelter in their yards and on their sidewalks. That simply shifts the costs of providing shelter from government to individual citizens living in our community.

Start dealing with our problem at no cost to the county. Then the commissioners can present the plan for their dream shelter and of course, how they intend to pay for it.

Greg and Becky Durr,

Aberdeen