In this short story by Matt Briggs, a man living in his Honda Accord appears outside the home of Maureen Hough, a teenager whose father works a blue-collar job and pays a mortgage on a home not far from Pacific Highway South. A timely story as Seattle faces a critical housing crisis it can't ignore.
In an essay by Terrence Petty, it's just another strange day in Portland full of protests, counter-protests, colorful characters, police flashbang grenades, and tourists sailing by oblivious to it all.
Scott Owens is one of more than 2,000 people living in their vehicles across Seattle. In vans and cars, this segment of the homeless population lives a fragile existence on the margins, finding it difficult to get access to bathrooms and showers--and always facing the possibility of eviction by police.
Faced with skyrocketing housing costs, the three largest cities in the Pacific Northwest -- Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland-- are taking different approaches to reigning in costs and building more affordable units, whether it's changing zoning, increasing public-funded housing, or making deals with developers.
