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 readingA timeline of the Navigation Team
Given today’s existential debate on the Navigation Team, I thought it would be useful to have a timeline for it, extending from its creation in early 2017 to the present day.
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City Council debates the future of the Navigation Team
This morning the City Council began discussing in earnest its competing ideas for changes to next year’s budget for the homelessness response, following its first conversation two weeks ago. Much of the time was taken up with one question: what to do with the Navigation Team. And it’s clear that the Council is nowhere near consensus.
Continue readingNew report shows bias in how homeless people are prioritized for services
A study released last week confirms something that many people in the homeless-services community had suspected: a key tool used to assess and prioritize homeless people in King County for access to services is biased against people of color.
Continue readingCouncil deliberates on city’s 2020 homelessness spending plan
With a plan in the works to transition to a regional authority to organize the response to the homelessness crisis, yesterday the City Council and a collection of city departments had a public discussion of the Mayor’s proposed homelessness budget for next year.
Continue readingCouncil continues debate on regional governance model for homelessness
This morning, the City Council had another hearing to discuss the proposed regional governance structure to respond to the homelessness crisis that was developed by representatives of Seattle and King County.
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“RV Ranching” bill gets rewritten, inches forward
This afternoon, the Council once again took up the Mayor’s bill prohibiting “RV Ranching” of dilapidated vehicles. But it rewrote the bill to change the focus from cracking down on the predatory ranchers to protecting and providing assistance to the victims.
Continue readingDurkan and Constantine announce proposal for regional homeless response agency
This morning, King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan announced that they have jointly submitted a long-awaited proposal for a regional governance structure for responding to the homelessness crisis. The proposal, as detailed in a proposed Interlocal Agreement and a Charter for the new organization, lays out the services that will be consolidated into the new authority, the governing bodies that will oversee it, and the initial funding.
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RV Ranching, the Sequel
Earlier this week, the City Council had another committee hearing on the Mayor’s proposed ordinance to curb “RV Ranching,” predatory renting of RV’s and other vehicles in poor condition to homeless people. The second conversation went better than the first one last week, and the issues are becoming clearer.
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