Seattle is considering a major spending package to combat homelessness. What’s unclear is if this package is in addition to the $12 billion spending proposal made by the King County Regional Homelessness Authority – which does little to address the underlying causes of homelessness. KCRHA’s proposal would cost $12 billion over the next five years on...
The King County Regional Homeless Authority recently shared a five-year plan to end homelessness. Now that I’ve read the detailed 146-page report, I am more confident than ever that the KCRHA has no idea what they are doing. This report is just more of the things that got us into the mess in the first...
By Ginny Burton In 2015 I secured my first position with one of Washington state’s largest nonprofits in Seattle. During my interview I was asked if I could explain harm reduction. My answer, which I called a friend ahead of time to inquire, was “meeting the person where they are at.” I didn’t really understand...
Homelessness is at a crisis point in Washington. The homeless population has surpassed nearly every other state in America. The homeless are people in our communities that are struggling, and we need to help them rather than just throw taxpayer money on initiatives that do not address the underlying issues. It is no exaggeration to...
Earlier this week Mayor Bruce Harrell delivered his 2023 State of the City address, outlining his plan to combat the homelessness crisis and increased crime at a time when workers are finally returning to downtown.
While current state law unbelievably still does not allow police to vehicularly pursue most criminal suspects, we’re pursuing a fix to it this legislative session – and we need your help to make it happen.
Four city councilmembers, including Socialist councilmember Kshama Sawant, have announced they will not be running for reelection this year.
Two years ago, the majority party in the state legislature decided to go crazy on crime. This legislative session, we have an opportunity to roll some of that crazy back and restore common sense to public safety when it comes to vehicular pursuits of criminal suspects. During the 2021 legislative session, the majority party voted...
Mayor Bruce Harrell, the Seattle City Council, and regional leaders continue to treat the homelessness crisis as a housing issue despite the glaringly obvious fact that it’s driven by drug addiction. The evidence isn’t hard to find, and denying reality is causing unnecessary deaths. As reported recently by The Center Square, King County experienced a...
We hope you enjoyed the holiday season and want to welcome you all into 2023. If there is a theme this year for us at Change Washington, it’s “change things for the better.” The opportunity is there. Polling repeatedly demonstrates Seattle voters are tired of the status quo, and their numbers wanting change continues to...
With the systematic homelessness and public safety crisis in our region, you’d think King County would be primarily focused on addressing those issues. But apparently, the county government was taken over by the Grinch. Recently it was revealed that King County sent out a memo to its employees instructing them not to have any holiday-related...
Budgets demonstrate values and priorities and a majority on the Seattle City Council just sent a clear message that the police don’t matter. The recently approved 2023 budget eliminated 80 unfilled police officer positions with no provisions for restaffing the severely depleted police department. But here’s what the City Council might decide is both...
Seattle voters have made it adamantly clear what they want when it comes to public safety, as polling has repeatedly demonstrated. They want crime reduced so they feel safe, and more police officers on the force, not fewer. Yet, the majority of the City Council isn’t listening. Recently the council voted 6-3 to approve a new...
A recent expose by The Tacoma News Tribune of the state’s largest mental health facility is not only perhaps one of the most glaring examples of the inmates literally running the asylum as you’ll ever get, but it’s also a vivid example of how failings within the state’s mental health system is driving much of...