Bidding on the Destitute: Seattle’s 1877 Poverty Contracts
Before modern social safety nets, King County put the care of its 'indigent poor' up for competitive bid, seeking the lowest price for housing and medical services.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Notice is hereby given that the Board of Commissioners of King County, W. T., invites sealed proposals for the care of the indigent poor of said county for one year from and including the first day of March, 1877. Said proposals are solicited separately for the board, care, and lodging of said poor, and for their medical and surgical attendance, and collectively for their board, care, lodging, and medical and surgical attendance. All bids to be delivered to the Auditor of said County on or before the third day of February, 1877, and to be opened and acted upon by the Board during their regular session, to commence February 5th, 1877, the Board reserving the right to reject any and all bids.
“The Board reserving the right to reject any and all bids.”
This 1877 notice reveals a stark, transactional approach to social welfare that resonates with today's debates on the privatization of homeless services and the commodification of human suffering. While the terminology has shifted, the fundamental tension—how a municipality balances fiscal austerity with the moral mandate to care for its most vulnerable—remains a central, unresolved struggle in Seattle's civic life.
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