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.
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Navigation 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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City Council approves interlocal agreement for regional homeless authority
This morning the City Council advanced out of committee the interlocal agreement with King County for a regional homelessness authority. The agreement is identical to the version that the King County Council approved yesterday, and if the full City Council approves it on Monday then it’s a done deal.
Continue readingEffort to create regional governance for homeless response has a rocky road
Last week I wrote that the effort to create a regional governance structure to lead the response to the homelessness crisis was reaching a pivotal moment as a revised plan was brought forth to King County’s Regional Policy Committee and the Seattle City Council. The back-to-back meetings of those two groups last Thursday showed that fractures still remain and the chance of moving forward with a plan is far from certain.
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It’s a pivotal week for the proposed regional homelessness authority
It’s shaping up to be an important week for the proposal to create a regional governance structure for responding to the homelessness crisis, with Thursday being the key day.
Continue readingSeattle notches another win in court
Last Friday the City of Seattle got another win in court, as the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals refused to certify class-action status to a challenge to the city’s process of “sweeping” homeless encampments.
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