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Fix Homelessness How to rebuild human lives
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Date
February 16, 2026
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Drug Epidemic
Street Report
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Addicts Proliferate on the Front Porch of One of Seattle’s Largest Homeless Outreach Providers

Jonathan Choe
February 16, 2026
Drug Epidemic, Street Report
2
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Categories
Drug Epidemic
Street Report

Out of Control

As Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson prepares to deliver her first State of the City address, parts of downtown remain a drug infested disaster.

Especially the Belltown neighborhood near 2nd Ave and Blanchard St.

Sunday evening, I watched dozens of addicts come and go, selling fentanyl in front of children with no cops in sight.

Ironically they are using the vestibule of REACH, one of the largest homeless outreach providers funded with taxpayer dollars from the city.

Yet REACH leaders can’t even get the situation under control in front of their own HQ.

It’s time the Wilson administration do a full audit of these failing organizations.

REACH

REACH is a division of Evergreen Treatment Services. A couple years ago, the City of Burien recognized REACH outreach workers were barely doing any outreach. So the city ended the contract.

Jonathan Choe

Journalist and Senior Fellow, Center on Wealth and Poverty
Jonathan Choe is a journalist and Senior Fellow with Discovery Institute’s Center on Wealth and Poverty, covering homelessness issues for its Fix Homelessness initiative. Prior to joining Discovery, Choe spent several years as one of the lead reporters at KOMO-TV, consistently the top rated television station in Seattle. His in depth stories on crime and deep dive investigations into the homeless crisis led to measurable results in the community, including changes in public policy. Choe has more than two decades of experience in television news behind the scenes and in front of the camera for ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, and Tribune. He has also been nominated and honored with multiple industry awards including an Emmy. Choe spent several years teaching classes on emerging media and entrepreneurship to under privileged youth in inner city Chicago. As an independent journalist, Choe also contributes regularly to the Mill Creek View and Lynnwood Times and has reported on exclusive stories in the past year for Daily Wire and The Postmillennial.