Seattle council member wants to ‘retool’ approach to homeless crisis

At least one city leader wants to see “some healthy disruption” to Seattle’s response to its homeless crisis.

In an op-ed for The Seattle Times, Seattle City Council member Tim Burgess writes that what has been done for the homeless hasn’t been efficient enough. Among the problems Burgess cites is the idea of a “homeless industrial complex,” which has shifted the focus on homelessness from people in need to “the development of a highly complicated, interwoven network of service providers that compete for funding. …”

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Seattle Mayor Ed Murray is expected to send the city council a review of the response to homelessness, as well as his recommendations, in the next few weeks, according to Burgess. It will let the council see specific outcomes “on what we have accomplished (or not) with the millions of dollars we invest each year to address homelessness,” Burgess writes.

Seattle is slated to spend nearly $50 million to combat homelessness this year by providing outreach, services and shelter. Murray previously said that funding will need to essentially double in order to house all the people who are living on the streets. According to the most recent One Night Count, there are 4,505 unsheltered homeless people.

Despite the spending, problems persist. The greenbelt that runs along and under I-5 in south Seattle, for example, remains inhabited. The city and state came together to try and find a solution to the problem area, but Murray admitted cleaning it out would take years — and it may never be completely clear. Other camps continue popping onto the public’s radar, even one with landscaping. The city also struggles to find a permanent solution for people living in RVs.

The issue of homelessness is so widespread that it’s being pushed out of the city and onto freeways, forcing state crews away from their primary jobs. A recent report by KIRO Radio shows that WSDOT crews find themselves cleaning up illegal homeless camps several times a week.

“It’s eating a big hole into what we can do,” said Jim McBride, Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance superintendent. “And it’s not just the clean-ups, it’s the other activities associated with them. There’s repairing fences, installing fences, putting up metal barriers when the fences continue to get cut, trying to keep people safe and off of the freeway … that’s a lot of time and money.”

Here’s a breakdown of what Burgess wants to see come out of the review:
• “A compassionate response”
• “Client-first focus” that puts people first
• “Common needs assessment and coordinated entry”
• “Prioritize families with children”
• Contract for specific outcomes and investing resources for “maximum benefit”
• A housing first policy; getting people into housing as quick as possible

“Let’s retool our response to homelessness to increase effectiveness, help more people and act on our values as a compassionate city,” Burgess opines.

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