Issues | Change Washington

Rent Control – The latest “fix” that will actually increase homelessness

Since Washington’s homelessness problem reached crisis status in the early 2010’s, nearly every housing and homeless measure that has received government support (and our tax dollars) has resulted in higher homeless numbers and/or lowered our state’s housing supply. Currently, Washington has one of the worst homeless problems in the country (with thousands remaining untreated for...

Public frustration grows over government’s negative homelessness results

In the latest condemnation of “Housing First” homeless policies, an overwhelming 80% of Washington State voters believe current homeless strategies have failed and that the region’s political leadership has made the crisis even worse. This is one of many public opinions learned in a new 800-voter survey conducted by Napolitan News Services . The wide-ranging...

Governor Inslee’s Legacy – 77.7% increase in homelessness

How will history view Governor Jay Inslee’s 12 years in office and his leadership on the homeless crisis? If historians look at the facts, they will not be kind to the career politician when it comes to one of the major issues of the day. Besides being an obedient follower of the controversial Housing First...

2024 in review: Despite billions spent, homelessness continues to grow

This is the concluding article of ChangeWA’s two-part review of 2024. Last week, we discussed successful citizen efforts to correct the mistakes made by politicians on crime and drug issues. This article examines why our region continues to lose the battle against homelessness despite billions spent annually on government programs. We also take a quick...

2024 in review: Citizens fight back on crime and drugs

This is the first of a two-part review of 2024. This article looks at citizen efforts to correct the mistakes made by politicians on crime and drug issues. Next week we will post our thoughts on why our region continues to lose the battle on the homeless crisis. As we look back on 2024, Washington...

Dow Constantine interview raises questions on region’s homeless strategy

ChangeWA received a strong response to our exclusive interview on homelessness with King County Executive Dow Constantine – the single most responsible public official for the current strategy to combat the crisis in the county and Seattle. After 15 years in office, Constantine announced in mid-November that he will not be seeking a fifth term...

Exclusive Interview: King County Executive Dow Constantine defends his homelessness strategy

It is safe to say that no other elected official has had more impact on the homelessness issue in King County/Seattle than King County Executive Dow Constantine. In 2015 Constantine joined then Seattle Mayor Ed Murray to declare homelessness an emergency, he led the effort to form the much-maligned King County Regional Housing Authority (KCRHA),...

Thankful for a responsible Seattle City Council

It is common to reflect on what makes us thankful as the holidays approach. After last week’s budget vote, ChangeWA is grateful for the 2023 Seattle voters who rejected the reckless policies of the previous city council and replaced six of the nine council seats with more responsible members. In the end, this council kept...

Demand Seattle City Councilmembers keep promises against new taxes

Seattle voters must remind councilmembers to keep their campaign promises and not cave into the demands of greedy special interest groups which benefit from higher taxes. Moreover, councilmembers should listen to 68% of Seattle voters who support budget cuts over imposing more taxes which increase the cost of living and doing business in the city....

New study provides common sense plan to reduce Seattle’s homelessness

The Seattle-based Discovery Institute released an important study on the King County homelessness crisis which asserts that current government “Housing First” policies are causing homeless numbers to double every three years. The report’s authors proposed commonsense solutions that go to the root cause of why half of the homeless individuals say they are living on...

More work needed to inform voters from making bad choices

County election offices across Washington are busy counting ballots and a few races won’t be determined until next week. Yet, with roughly 80% of the statewide vote counted, there is enough election data to make a couple of general observations. SEATTLE Seattle voters took a step back to the failed progressive policies of its recent...

State politicians keep same homelessness plan that has brought suffering to many

Those seeking to decrease the number of homeless individuals in Washington received heartbreaking news last week. Despite overwhelming evidence that the current homeless strategy (i.e. “Housing First”) is one of the worst and most expensive policy failures in modern history, state government officials released a five-year plan saying they will continue to waste even more...

Poll shows Seattle voters seek bolder remedies from failed extreme policies

A new survey of Seattle residents reveals the public is becoming more optimistic about Seattle’s future after voters in 2023 replaced extremist city councilmembers with practical moderates, who thus far are keeping their campaign promises on public safety and not raising taxes. The numbers have improved enough for one to wonder whether the public would...

Burien (again) prevails over Dow Constantine’s hopeless homeless strategy

King County Executive Dow Constantine’s homeless strategy suffered yet another blow as a federal court threw out the county’s lawsuit against the City of Burien over enforcement of the city’s no camping laws. U.S. District Judge Richard Jones ruled on September 25 that the county’s legal claims were “nebulous,” and Burien’s public-area camping ban is...