Another huge rally expected in front of Redmond City Hall Tuesday at 6:00pm. Then neighbors and activists will pack Council Chambers for public testimony. Former Plymouth Housing staffer Tasha Mae is sharing horror stories about the way this homeless housing provider allegedly runs operations in some of its buildings.
Mae was the former Lead Residential Specialist and says,
I was constantly having to send emails to executives about what was happening – the negligence of case managers, the danger that we were in as employees and how we were not trained to deal with a lot of the mental health extremes that we faced not to mention the drugs in combination with poor mental health plus negligent and untrained staff was a disaster. And I had to get out.
Plymouth Housing’s Eye-Popping Financials
Citizen journalists with community advocacy group Safe Eastside have also uncovered all kinds of alleged backroom dealing by city leaders, potential conflicts of interest, and eye-popping financials:
- Plymouth Housing saw its assets grow from $65 million in 2018 to $321 million in 2022, during the region’s homeless crisis.
- According to its 2022 Form 990, Plymouth Housing’s CEO and COO each took home over $250K/year in salary. Yet it is unwilling to provide adequate training and support to its workers, nor does it care for the safety and wellbeing of its tenants and employees.
- Redmond City Council’s rushed decision to gift public land to Plymouth Housing without public input.
Council’s Proposals to Stifle Public Comment
Safe Eastside accuses the city council of trying to stifle public comment. Here is what the council is proposing:
- Cutting public comment from 3 minutes to 1 minute.
- Limiting type of content shared.
- Councilmembers having discretion to ban speakers up to 6 months.
Plymouth Housing Rejected in Kenmore
Redmond Mayor Angela Birney now says she wants her city to host the very same Plymouth Housing project rejected by the city of Kenmore. Why?
Plymouth Housing’s Appalling Conditions
These are the conditions inside Plymouth Housing’s Lewiston-Scargo in Seattle. Redmond neighbors are concerned this will spill into their downtown core.