Governance

I interviewed Portland Mayor Keith Wilson on the streets of Portland about the state of the city and its response to homelessness. I asked whether his administration requires measurable outcomes from the homeless service providers it funds. In response, Mayor Wilson pointed to his new policy of ending the distribution of tents, arguing that tents do not help people exit homelessness and are not life-saving care. He cited the heightened danger faced by vulnerable women living outside, noting that women experiencing homelessness face roughly a 40% chance of being assaulted. I followed up by asking whether there are consequences for providers who fail to meet expectations or move people off the streets. Mayor Wilson said the providers are aligned with Read More ›

I went to the Ballard homeless encampment that has been dominating Seattle headlines, and what I found there was not clarity or compassion colliding with cruelty, but a system quietly failing almost everyone involved. Business owners and nearby residents are frustrated and exhausted. They’ve watched the encampment grow while public spaces deteriorate and safety concerns mount. On the other side, homeless advocates are fiercely defending the right of people to remain where they are, arguing that sweeps only deepen trauma and solve nothing. Caught in the middle is a city trying to signal change under new leadership, while offering very little evidence that real change is actually happening. This encampment was scheduled to be swept, but Mayor Katie Wilson halted Read More ›

Same Ol’ Same Ol’ Start the sweeps Seattle! Even after Mayor Katie Wilson promised to handle the homeless drug crisis differently, the city is quietly clearing out drug encampments and it’s still a game of Whack-a-mole. The vast majority of people at Wednesday morning’s sweep along Martin Luther King Jr Way rejected shelter options and headed right down the block to set up tents. That’s because they wanted to do their drugs. Difference is, far-left activist group Stop The Sweeps Seattle is surprisingly quiet about the encampment removals under the mayor. Double Standard? Wilson used to lead the Transit Riders Union. This activist group is heavily aligned with Stop the Sweeps. Which is likely why they are going easy on Read More ›

The Bellevue City Council is raising massive safety concerns about the Plymouth Housing/PorchLight homeless campus. Led by CM Jared Nieuwenhuis, the councilmembers are now telling city staff to come up with a better plan to keep neighbors and businesses safe. And they are demanding a baseline standard to measure success. Regardless, it appears this problematic facility isn’t going anywhere as it continues to trigger the most 911 calls in the city. Jare Neiuwenhuis CM Jared Nieuwenhuis on Plymouth Housing/PorchLight. Naren Briar CM Naren Briar on Plymouth Housing/PorchLight. Vishal Bhargava CM Vishal Bhargava on Plymouth Housing/PorchLight. Claire Sumadiwirya CM Claire Sumadiwirya on Plymouth Housing/PorchLight. Mo Malakoutian Mayor Mo Malakoutian on Plymouth Housing/PorchLight. Deputy Mayor Hamilton Deputy Mayor Dave Hamilton on Plymouth Read More ›

Canceled Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson abruptly canceled the first major encampment sweep of the year. It was scheduled for Wednesday morning in Ballard. Neighbors are furious and some in the outreach community are questioning this decision. But Wilson’s risky call could be a long-term blessing in disguise. Other Sweeps Continue Wilson’s spokesperson sent me a statement saying this is a one-off and that the mayor “believes a better resolution is possible at that location.” We are still waiting on those details. Meanwhile other encampment sweeps are still happening across the city. Blessing in Disguise? As for how this could be a blessing in disguise, Mayor Wilson could set a new precedent by personally going to this encampment and meeting the Read More ›

On December 16, HUD Secretary Scott Turner toured facilities at the Helping Up Mission in Baltimore, Maryland, a faith-based organization serving the homeless for 140 years. This visit was part of a larger tour in which Turner will visit facilities that are successfully helping people transition from homelessness to self-sustained living as HUD reexamines its approach to homelessness. WMAR 2 News reports: U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner toured Helping Up Mission’s men’s recovery campus today, meeting with clients and staff to learn how healthcare, recovery, job training and faith work together to address homelessness. Turner said models like this are key to helping people move toward independence rather than long-term dependence. For nearly 140 years, Helping Up Read More ›

Tackling the Root Causes HUD Secretary Scott Turner takes direct aim at America’s “homeless industrial complex” and says the the days of “warehousing people” are over. The Trump administration is reallocating federal dollars to tackle the root causes of homelessness like drug addiction and mental illness. This plan could cripple so called Housing First programs that do not require people to find jobs or enter drug treatment. Many of these understaffed facilities under Housing First also trigger the most 911 calls in cities, allow drug use behind closed doors, and attract an inordinate amount of crime to neighborhoods. California and WA are ranked in the top three for overall homelessness in the nation. But elected officials in these states are Read More ›

“There’s a Big Drug Dealer Down Here” After dozens of neighbor complaints about homeless drug addicts destroying Seattle’s Dr. Jose Rizal Park, the fencing is back up and major renovations are about to get started. But We Heart Seattle’s Andrea Suarez says the dealers and addicts are now moving further into wooded areas in Beacon Hill and the city is barely enforcing public camping laws in this area. Suarez is also calling out Seattle Parks Superintendent AP Diaz for being MIA.

“I Will Never Talk to You” Bellevue Mayor Lynne Robinson has failed to address the crime, chaos, and death associated with the Plymouth Housing/PorchLight campus in the Eastgate Neighborhood. Robinson helped bring in this permanent supportive housing nightmare even though residents and business owners opposed the plan. Nearly two years later, this campus triggers the most 911 calls in the city for fights, thefts, open-air drug use, and other problems. It’s also stressing resources at Bellevue PD and is a massive drain on taxpayer dollars. So I simply asked Robinson for her thoughts on this cancer in the community. Here’s her response. Not Running for Re-Election Tuesday evening, Robinson told the city council that she will not run for Mayor Read More ›

“Free-attle” Last year, Discovery Institute published a report showing most of the unsheltered homeless in Seattle are not from this city. Nothing has changed. Today in Ballard, I met so many new faces and transplants from out of state who are now living in tents and RV’s. Mayor-elect Katie Wilson has a “Free-atle” problem on her hands. Even outgoing Mayor Bruce Harrell acknowledged this inconvenient truth. Enabling Destructive Lifestyles So many free supplies enabling people to live on the streets until they die. The bleeding heart libs need to stop this madness. Discovery Institute’s Strategic Plan for Seattle Here is a link to the entire Discovery Institute report. Join Us As you prepare for end of the year gifts, please Read More ›