Increase in King County’s homeless population in the last 10 years.
Political leaders cannot say how much money has been spent on the homeless issue in King County.
WA state has the 3rd largest homeless population in the country. And THE largest chronically homeless population.
In recent years, well-intentioned policies have often produced disappointing results in many corners of Washington. We advocate for programs that focus on truly helping those among us most in need and focus on accountabilty for actual results.
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Enough is enough. That’s the message from courthouse employees frustrated by the lack of safety provided by the city at their workplace, the downtown King County Courthouse. The area around the courthouse and adjoining park are notoriously overrun by open drug abuse and dealing as well as unregulated encampments. On Friday, workers rallied at the...
We are pleased to announce that Chief Carmen Best is joining ChangeWA as an adviser to ChangeWA to promote solutions that address public safety and livability in Seattle. Chief Best writes in the Seattle Times today that city leaders and candidates for office must share their long overdue plans to address public safety. It’s hard...
The race for Seattle City Attorney is turning into one of the more interesting races to watch after yesterday’s primary. The importance of this position cannot be overstated. The city attorney is responsible for ensuring that criminals are prosecuted. As KOMO News put it, “concerns about crime, safety and repeat offenders are a driving force...
“These people need to get down to business and clean up the mess in this city.” That’s what Joe Howard, a financial trader living in Seattle, has to say to local political candidates. “I understand you want to open up society, you want a fair and equitable society, but just being airheaded about things behind...
“I’m tired of seeing other moms who are so sad and so angry. I’m tired of being that mom.” Alicia Dass lost her son Conner to gun violence in Seattle a little over a year ago, but the loss still burdens her. Now, she wants to make sure no other mothers are forced to live...
Today’s Seattle Times column “How the City Council left Seattle in a no man’s land on crime” from Danny Westneat is worth sharing today. Especially in the context of this terribly violent weekend where 4 people were killed by gun violence in Seattle. Westneat’s critique of the Seattle City Council’s approach to police and public...
Shootings across Seattle killed 4 people and injured 5 this past weekend according to multiple news outlets. The tragic shootings occurred in Lake City, Belltown, Pioneer Square, Capitol Hill and the International District. From the Seattle Times: “Interim Seattle police Chief Adrian Diaz said the rise violence comes at a time when the Seattle Police...
Many King County voters have already received ballots for the August 3, 2021 primary. There are critical issues at play in this election when it comes to public safety, homelessness, livability and economic recovery. We are especially watching Seattle’s mayoral race, Seattle City Council and the Seattle City Attorney’s office since the city faces a...
“I don’t think neighbors and community members should clean the property – it’s out of control.” That’s what one neighbor of a homeless encampment had to say about the deterioration of safety near Broadview Thomson K-8 School. Can you blame them after an encampment of 56 people moved into property behind the school? Meanwhile, a...
The global pandemic was a gut punch to our rapidly growing regional economy, with the greatest costs of the slowdown landing on the backs of low-income workers and communities of color. This coincided with a rapid spike in violent crime, vandalism, and people in crisis. We are recovering, but in order to get the economy...
Eric Adams’s win in the New York City primary election is inspiring to those of us in Seattle who want to see our own candidates for office and elected officials share detailed plans for increasing public safety and common sense governance. Adams’s position on police reforms is both pragmatic and yet bold. On his website,...
The Seattle Parks and Recreation Department will not open the spray park at Ballard Commons Park this summer according to the Seattle Times and the My Ballard blog. The reason? Health and safety concerns related to tent encampments there. “Because of health and safety concerns of Seattle/King County Public Health and our own Safety Office...
Homelessness has been a declared emergency in Seattle since 2015. Almost six years! Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent to solve the crisis, but the problem is only getting worse. Almost every day, there is another story about encampments on playgrounds and school property and each story has a similar, disastrous ending. We...
After five years of declaring a state of emergency on homelessness in Seattle and hundreds of millions of dollars spent, the problem is only getting worse. Almost every day, there is another story about encampments on playfields and school grounds and each story has a similar ending – Seattle will spend $167m on homelessness this...