by Vee Hua 華婷婷
by Lauryn Bray
Africatown Community Land Trust (ACLT) is wrapping up the final stages of construction on their new affordable housing building at 23rd Avenue and East Spring Street, Africatown Plaza.
Constructed by a diverse team of architects, contractors, and engineers led by general contractor Kevin Young in partnership with Community Roots Housing, the new building is now in the process of leasing up and is soon expected to be ready for tenants.
Continue reading Now Leasing: Africatown Community Land Trust Wraps Up Construction on New Affordable Housing Buildingby Lauryn Bray
King County Executive Dow Constantine has announced that King County will be providing an additional $1 million in emergency funding to support refugee families in Tukwila. After an application process that will run through March 12, the County will select one or more nonprofit organizations to contract with to provide temporary housing, food, support, and legal services. Money for the $1 million grant will be taken out of the $5 million committed to address homelessness in cities in South King County.
“Last year, King County stepped up to provide urgent assistance to Tukwila that would support people facing the winter months outside. While this additional $1 million in funding will help in the near term, the full-scale response and infrastructure needed for this ongoing situation requires additional federal leadership and partnership with the State,” said Constantine in a press release.
Continue reading King County Announces $1 Million in Additional Support for Asylees and Refugees in Tukwilaby Lauryn Bray
Ninety Venezuelan families, part of the community of refugees who formerly lived in tents on the grounds of the Riverton Park United Methodist Church, must vacate their hotel rooms at Kent’s Quality Inn by Tuesday, Jan. 30. The group of families, comprising about 170 individuals, were picked up from the church by the local nonprofit Save the Kids and placed in hotel rooms during the drop in temperature a few weeks ago.
Continue reading 90 Venezuelan Families Seeking Asylum to Be Displaced From Quality Inn in Kentby Gennette Cordova
Earlier this month, Seattle City Councilmember Sara Nelson was elected president of the council, much to the dismay of the city’s progressives.
Throughout the city, you’ll often find posters, flyers, and street art plastered on the sides of buildings, stapled to utility poles, and glued to postal boxes, declaring the social or political views of many of Seattle’s inhabitants. If you’ve paid attention, you may have seen stickers that read: “Sara Nelson hates poor people.”
Continue reading OPINION | Under Sara Nelson, More Money for Cops, Less for Communitiesby Vee Hua 華婷婷
by Phil Manzano
About 50 African refugees are refusing to leave their hotel rooms and return to their makeshift tent village at Riverton Park United Methodist Church in Tukwila, citing frigid temperatures and inhumane conditions.
Continue reading Homeless Refugees Refuse to Return to Tukwila Church Tentsby Ginger Kwan
As a parent of an adult son with autism, I’m constantly asking myself a question that haunts all parents in my situation: Where will my son live after I’ve passed away?
A recent report by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services found a huge lack of affordable housing that meets the needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Over 37,000 Washingtonians with intellectual disabilities face housing insecurity, while the state has only 1,382 Housing Trust Fund units that serve this community.
Continue reading OPINION | Multicultural Village Offers Real Help for People With Disabilitiesby Hailey Karcher
In October 2023, Dunlap Elementary School in South Seattle learned that they would have to let go of two of their classroom teachers due to less-than-predicted student enrollment. This had an outsized cascading effect on many students in the school, with split grade classes created, teachers shuffled to different classrooms, and students rearranged to account for this staff reduction. These disruptions happened, of course, after the tone-setting, norm-creating month of September had already passed; students, teachers, and administrators would have to reboot, altering everyone’s expectations for that year.
Continue reading OPINION | Not All Student Enrollment Is Created Equalby Jesse Kennemer
This op-ed was originally published on June 15, 2023. In the spirit of Giving Tuesday, we are republishing a series of inspiring articles and op-eds that highlight the incredible ways in which community giving, generosity, and compassion have transformed lives — and remind us of the ongoing challenges and critical work that still lies ahead. These stories are not just narratives; they are testaments to the strength and compassion that flourish in our community when we support each other.
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.
