Today the City of Seattle made three separate announcements of actions it is taking as part of its response to the COVID-19 outbreak. (UPDATE 3/18 — see below on encampment cleanups)
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Editorial: here’s what the city should do about the Navigation Team
Yesterday afternoon’s Council committee hearing to review the most recent quarterly report for the Navigation Team was nothing short of a bloodbath. You can watch the video here, if you are so inclined, and read Erica Barnett’s summary. In a nutshell: the Human Services Department tried to put lipstick on a pig, obscuring the struggles that the Navigation Team faces. And the Council was having none of it. Prior to yesterday’s meeting, there were already some vocal critics of the Navigation Team, including Council members Sawant and Mosqueda, but the rest of the Council appeared to see the team as …
Continue readingSpat over LEAD budget appears to be sorted out
Over the past month an ongoing disagreement over the budget for the LEAD program flared up again, as Erica Barnett has been reporting for the last several weeks, but as of late last week it seems to be getting resolved.
Continue readingCouncil advances expansion to sanctioned encampments and “tiny home” villages
Late this afternoon, the City Council advanced out of committee a bill that would increase the maximum number of permitted homeless encampments and loosen the rules for extending their permits.
Continue readingCatching up on HB 2907, the proposed new county-wide payroll tax
On Friday, HB 2907, which would authorize a new payroll tax in King County on companies with employees earning more than $150,000, passed out of the Washington State House Finance Committee. But the road ahead is still long and bumpy, and what lies at the end is still far from clear.
Continue readingNavigation Team publishes its quarterly report
Yesterday the city’s Navigation Team published its quarterly report for the final three months of 2019. The report includes statistics on the team’s activities and outcomes, and answers some (but not all) of a set of questions posed by the City Council.
Continue readingNew McKinsey report dives into Seattle-area homelessness crisis
Late last month, the consulting firm McKinsey published a new report looking at the cause of the deep homelessness crisis in the Seattle/King County area — despite the obvious prosperity the region is enjoying.
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Your weekend reading
There are a number of reports and documents that have been published in the last couple of weeks and are worth paying attention to. So curl up in front of the fire, break out your reading glasses, and dig in.
Continue readingCouncil deliberates on bill expanding permitting of homeless encampments
This afternoon, the Council’s Select Committee on Homelessness Strategies and Investments held its first discussion of Council member Sawant’s bill that would relax limits on permitting of sanctioned encampments and “tiny home villages.”
Continue readingCouncil gives final approval to agreement establishing regional homelessness authority
By a 5-1 vote this afternoon, the City Council gave its final approval to an interlocal agreement (ILA) with King County to establish a new regional agency to lead on homelessness. Council member Gonzalez voted against the agreement, and Council members Sawant, Herbold and Mosqueda were absent (Mosqueda is on maternity leave).
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