The Struggle to House the Poor in Early Seattle
As the number of county residents in need grows, officials weigh ending the Sisters of Providence’s long-standing contract for a public poor farm.
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.
The Board of County Commissioners have concluded to transfer the care of the county poor from Providence Hospital to the county farm. One of the greatest burdens of expense the taxpayers of the county are called upon to bear is for the care and support of paupers. For many years the Sisters have been awarded the contract of caring for them, and there is no fault found with the manner in which they have been looked after and provided for, but the number of county charges is constantly increasing and the burden of the taxpayers becoming heavier and heavier. Only a few miles from Seattle the county owns a farm on which there is a large residence built with a view to housing the poor. The contract with the Sisters will expire before the term of the present Board of County Commissioners is concluded, and the commissioners have concluded to make the change. To that end they advertised this morning for bids from suitable persons in order to secure a superintendent to take charge of the farm and the poor on February 1, 1887.
“For many years the Sisters have been awarded the contract of caring for them, and there is no fault found with the manner in which they have been looked after and provided for, but the number of county charges is constantly increasing.”
This 1886 report highlights a recurring tension in Seattle: the privatization of essential social safety nets versus municipal management. Just as the county struggled to balance taxpayer costs with the welfare of its most vulnerable citizens in the 1880s, modern Seattle continues to debate the efficiency and humanity of its own fragmented housing and social service systems.
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