The Seattle metropolitan area ranks third in the nation for homeless population by metro area, with an estimated 11,751 individuals living homeless in 2020, only outnumbered by the New York City and Los Angeles metropolitan areas. The homelessness crisis in Seattle is longstanding, stretching well beyond the 2015 declaration of a state of emergency on homelessness by then-Mayor Ed Murray and Executive Dow Constantine. Throughout the crisis, numerous conversations have taken place about underlying causes and potential solutions.
A recent charter amendment on homelessness, Charter Amendment 29, was proposed by Compassion Seattle, which includes the Seattle Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Seattle Association, and Vulcan, Inc., as well as former Seattle City Council president Tim Burgess and former King County Executive Ron Sims, among others. This amendment proposed to address homelessness by providing 2,000 units of emergency or permanent housing within 12 months and putting 12% of the city’s general fund toward the Human Services Fund, while also mandating that the city clear parks, playgrounds, and sidewalks of encampments.
The proposed amendment was recently blocked by the King County Superior Court, which stated that it went beyond what is allowable through a local charter amendment and was in conflict with state law. The Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness, the Transit Riders Union, and the WA ACLU were involved in the suit to block the amendment. However, many of Compassion Seattle’s key tenets are being picked up in upcoming Seattle electoral races, including the mayoral race.
The documentary film US&THEM, provided for viewing prior to the Meaningful Movies event at First Church on October 3, 2021 (https://firstchurchseattle.org/events/root-causes-of-homelessness-in-seattle/), highlighted some of the root causes of homelessness and the profound impact of trauma as a risk factor for homelessness. While the film — and many of the debates around solutions to homelessness in our region — focused heavily on substance use as one factor in homelessness, the accompanying lecture at the October 3 event by University of Washington faculty Dr. Gregg Colburn (https://re.be.uw.edu/people/gregg-colburn/) highlighted the need for solutions that prioritize housing policy and affordability. You can view Dr Colburn’s lecture here (begins at 28:00): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo8QoMqyotU
Given the importance of this issue in the upcoming local elections, the Church & Society/Social Justice Committee wanted to highlight some of the complex debates and provide additional resources to encourage active, informed engagement.
Learn more about the issues, including the details of Compassion Seattle and the issues around the proposal:
Compassion Seattle: https://compassionseattle.org/
Real Change Seattle’s response to the Compassion Seattle charter amendment: https://www.realchangenews.org/news/2021/06/16/don-t-be-fooled-compassion-seattle
Kiro 7’s report on the King County Superior Court ruling: https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/homeless-measure-compassion-seattle-struck-november-ballot/Y5LWMGTSGJCMBG5JZWRQT4FOKU/
Belltown United had a recent panel discussion on the charter amendment:
https://www.belltownunited.org/events/belltown-united-presents/062421-charter-measure-29-panel-discussion [View recording of discussion]
Mayoral candidates Bruce Harrell and Lorena Gonzales recently weighed in on the issue, after Bruce Harrell held a press conference near a Green Lake homeless encampment:
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/bruce-harrell-vows-action-on-homelessness-in-parks-m-lorena-gonzalez-responds-as-seattles-mayoral-race-restarts/ and https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/how-would-mayoral-candidates-bruce-harrell-and-m-lorena-gonzalez-tackle-homelessness-in-seattle/
Seattle.gov’s Homelessness Response page: https://www.seattle.gov/homelessness