PAULETTE BADE
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NICKELSVILLE INTERVIEWS
by Tom Hastings � 2008
Paulette is 60 years old, white, and lived with her son-in-law until their landlord doubled their rent.
PAULETTE BADE
I�m 60 years old. Tough being homeless, but Nickelsville makes you feel better about yourself. I stay warm at night, with a sleeping bag, four blankets and two kitties. Nickelsville is the only place that would accept my cats. They haven�t met Spud yet. I keep them on a leash�.
I grew up in Omaha, Nebraska and lived in Portland for 17 years. I wound up in Seattle with a bad marriage�. My son-in-law John and I had an apartment on Rainer Avenue South but our landlord raised our rent from $600 to $900 for a one-bedroom. Very greedy landlord. John and I are both on SSI. I stayed in the DESC shelter once. Never again. I�d rather live outdoors in Nickelsville! Unlike DESC, there�s no thieves or drunks here. That makes a big difference. I�m not an outdoors person. But there is much more sense of community here.
Communal housing could be a solution, but I won�t rent any room that won�t accept my kitties. They keep me healthy�. I�m a Real Change newspaper vendor and sell at 4th at Jackson downtown. I�ve been selling Real Change since 1997, and love it�.
WE NEED MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING! We need a group house without a landlord, where we could rent cheap rooms�. We need more Nickelsville camps to help the homeless. I lived through the �60�s but this is my first alternative lifestyle. Feels like I�m living in a �60�s hippie commune in 2008!
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