KIRO NEWSRADIO OPINION

‘That would upset me’: Jake pushes back on new Kirkland supportive housing facility that doesn’t require sobriety

Jul 10, 2026, 4:01 PM | Updated: 4:14 pm

Sheila Stanton Place, a controversial supportive housing facility through Plymouth Housing, opened this week in Kirkland. The facility provides 102 studio apartments for individuals exiting or at risk of homelessness, including those with disabilities and complex behavioral health needs, according to Plymouth Housing’s website.

KIRO host Jake Skorheim took issue with the facility’s policies, pointing out that residents are not required to be sober to move in and can’t be evicted solely for drug use.

“They don’t want you doing those things in common areas. They say like, ‘If we find you doing drug things in common areas, they’re going to be asking you to move out of the common, take it inside.’ But they’re not going to remove you,” Jake said on “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio.

However, KIRO host Spike O’Neill said the facility is more than housing and offers services to support residents.

“This is access to case management, behavioral health care, substance abuse treatment, employment assistance, and all these other supportive services that we always hear talked about with temporary housing situations,” he said.

Jake, Spike debate Kirkland housing facility

Jake said the location puts longtime Kirkland residents in an unfair position, forcing families who chose the close-knit community to now live alongside people with severe drug addictions.

“You’re going to have somebody who used to be nowhere near, with a severe drug addiction, is now in your backyard,” he said. “That would upset me.”

“It’s cause for concern. I give you that. But there’s supposed to be 24-hour residents monitoring,” Spike responded. “There’ll be staff on site all day, all night, every day, every night.”

“That would comfort me zero if I was somebody who lived nearby,” Jake replied.

Spike said he appreciates the added services but acknowledged they might not be enough.

“I understand the residents’ concern,” he said.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3

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