Governance

It’s tee time at Jackson Park golf course, part of Seattle’s vast network of public spaces. But go beyond the greens and onto nearby trails leading into the deep woods. It looks far worse than any bad shot into the rough.  “I had a friend show me up here,” says Champ, who’s homeless.   Surrounded by the cover of lush trees and an abundance space, Champ says he’s lived alone in peace at this encampment for almost three years. However, he says that’s now changing.  “Usually when somebody gets kicked out they go somewhere else — where they’re going they’re going to raise hell in that area cause they’re pissed,” says Champ.  He believes the city and state’s recent crackdown on Read More ›

In the Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) The State of Homelessness in America report, CEA pointed out that overall homelessness has increased in America; and in many communities, homelessness has reached a crisis level. In just five years, unsheltered homelessness increased 20.5 percent from 175,399 in 2014 to 211,293 in 2019. Simultaneously, the number of year-round beds available to serve persons experiencing homelessness through subsidized Rapid Rehousing and Permanent Supportive Housing rose from 338,065 to 482,254, a 42.7 percent increase in five years. Despite significant increases in funding and beds, overall homelessness has been increasing in the United States. The federal government’s policy shift in 2013 to prioritizing housing first as a one-size-fits-all approach has not worked to reduce homelessness Read More ›