Tag Archives: Homelessness

News

As Camping Ban Looms, Burien Considers Privately Owned Lot Near Library as Potential Shelter Site

Leave a comment

(This article was originally published on PubliCola and has been reprinted under an agreement.)

by Erica C. Barnett

On Monday night, the Burien City Council decided not to immediately approve a bill that would ban sleeping outdoors in the city “at any time between sunset and sunrise,” opting to request more information from City staff about the implications of the ban before passing it.

Continue reading As Camping Ban Looms, Burien Considers Privately Owned Lot Near Library as Potential Shelter Site →
News

Sound Foundations NW Is Building Tiny Homes To End Homelessness and Protect the Environment

Leave a comment

by Sarah Goh

This year’s “highest honor for environmental stewardship,” the King County Green Globe Award, was awarded to 11 organizations and individuals who are committed to protecting the environment. 

Continue reading Sound Foundations NW Is Building Tiny Homes To End Homelessness and Protect the Environment →
News

City Can Continue ‘Obstruction’ Sweeps for Now; Ex-KCRHA Director Turns In First Work on City Contract

by Erica C. Barnett

(This article was originally published on PubliCola and has been reprinted under an agreement.)

City Can Continue ‘Obstruction’ Sweeps for Now

Last Friday, a state appeals court issued a ruling staying any enforcement of a King County Superior Court decision finding Seattle’s rules on “obstruction” encampment removals unconstitutional. The City defines an “obstruction” as any encampment, tent, person, or property that is located in virtually any public space, including remote areas of public parks. The stay comes in response to an appeal filed by City Attorney Ann Davison’s office on Friday, and allows the City to continue its practice of no-notice sweeps, which have ramped up dramatically under the Harrell administration. Attorneys for the plaintiffs in the case have until Aug. 11 to respond to the City’s appeal.

Continue reading City Can Continue ‘Obstruction’ Sweeps for Now; Ex-KCRHA Director Turns In First Work on City Contract →
Features

Weekend Reads | The California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness

Leave a comment

by Kevin Schofield

This weekend’s read is the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness (CASPEH), a new report released last month by the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative at the University of California, San Francisco. In contrast to the “Point-in-Time” census-like homeless counts that must be completed by all jurisdictions receiving federal homeless response funding, the CASPEH attempts to dig into the hows and whys of homelessness.

Continue reading Weekend Reads | The California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness →
Voices

OPINION | Hot Food and Dry Socks Are No Substitute for Housing

by Jesse Kennemer

On Thursday afternoons in my one-bedroom apartment, steam rises from the stock pot that towers over the electric-coil stove. It’s filled to the brim; every serving is accounted for. Just before 7:00 p.m. I wipe down the counter, fan out clear to-go containers like playing cards, and start ladling, lidding, and packing. Then the rest of the team arrives in ones and twos outside my patio gate and loads a foldable wagon. Hot food, of course, but also water, socks, T-shirts, underwear, hand warmers, cigarettes, lighters, Narcan, first-aid supplies, blankets. Then we head down Broadway to offer up the supplies to anyone who wants them. 

Continue reading OPINION | Hot Food and Dry Socks Are No Substitute for Housing →
News

Seeing Sweeps in a New Way: Data Visualization Invites Analysis of Seattle’s Housing Crises Responses

by Guy Oron

(This article was originally published on Real Change and has been reprinted under an agreement.)

Despite years of criticism and successive legislative efforts by the Seattle City Council, the City of Seattle has proceeded on its policy of sweeps unabated.

Continue reading Seeing Sweeps in a New Way: Data Visualization Invites Analysis of Seattle’s Housing Crises Responses →
Features

Block by Block: Backyard Cottage Program for Homeless People Boasts Astonishing Success Rate So Far

by Tobias Coughlin-Bogue

(This article was originally published on Real Change and has been reprinted under an agreement.)

A familiar feeling, for anyone who works with people experiencing homelessness, is wanting to help. While blankets, tents, snacks, and hand warmers go a long way, it’s hard not to think about the big need: housing. 

Continue reading Block by Block: Backyard Cottage Program for Homeless People Boasts Astonishing Success Rate So Far →
News

Seattle Conducted More Than 900 Sweeps of Homeless People in 2022

by Guy Oron

(This article was originally published on Real Change and has been reprinted under an agreement.)

New records obtained by Real Change indicate that the City of Seattle oversaw a massive rise in sweeps of unhoused people living in tents and vehicles in 2022. According to the log, the City conducted 943 sweeps, averaging more than two-and-a-half per day. 

Continue reading Seattle Conducted More Than 900 Sweeps of Homeless People in 2022 →
News

Health Through Housing Initiative and Chief Seattle Club to Provide Housing With Culturally Competent Social Services

by Lauryn Bray

In December 2022, King County and Chief Seattle Club announced that the Salmonberry Lofts in Pioneer Square became the fifth Health Through Housing building to begin moving tenants in. The Health Through Housing initiative is a “regional approach to address chronic homelessness at a countywide scale.” Introduced by King County Executive Dow Constantine in his 2020 budget speech, the Health Through Housing initiative dedicates one-tenth of a cent of sales tax revenue to the purchase and renovation of motels, hotels, and other buildings to be converted to emergency and permanent housing. 

Continue reading Health Through Housing Initiative and Chief Seattle Club to Provide Housing With Culturally Competent Social Services →
News

At 99%, KCHA Reports Highest Lease-Up Rate of Biden’s 2021 Emergency Housing Vouchers

by Lauryn Bray

Last year, President Joe Biden passed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which included the release of 70,000 housing vouchers to U.S. cities experiencing high rates of homelessness. Through the Act, King County Housing Authority (KCHA) was granted 762 emergency housing vouchers and nearly $18.4 million in funding by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in 2021. As of Nov. 14, KCHA has reported that 756 of the 762 emergency housing vouchers, or 99%, have been leased. 

Continue reading At 99%, KCHA Reports Highest Lease-Up Rate of Biden’s 2021 Emergency Housing Vouchers →