DAVE ROSS

Has Seattle turned a corner in the homeless crisis?

Dec 4, 2017, 11:02 AM

Aberdeen, homeless, homelessness, Seattle, homeless crisis, homeless population...

(File, Associated Press)

(File, Associated Press)

The City of Seattle is spending more than ever in order to reduce the homeless population. That includes a 22-member team tasked with connecting people with the services they need, helping them find shelter, and more humanely clearing illegal camps.

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So has the city turned a corner in the way it’s addressing homelessness?

Seattle Times reporter Vianna Davila says the Navigation Team represents a “huge improvement.” She said she’s been told by her colleagues that there is a noticeable difference in how the city is handling homelessness compared to a year ago. However, it may be too early to tell if we have turned a corner.

The Navigation Team is still learning what happens to these people,” she told Seattle’s Morning News. “They can’t quantify for sure how many of these people are going into shelter. They know a certain number are, but not all.”

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It isn’t clear how many people are actually staying in shelters once they leave their camps.

“And then once they go into shelter what happens to them?

“I think those are important things to know before we can say the city is on the right track — this is all going to be OK,” Davila said. “I know they are trying very hard and I think they’re very dedicated. But we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Listen to the entire conversation here.

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Has Seattle turned a corner in the homeless crisis?