Andrea Suarez

I’ve spent years working directly with Seattle’s homeless population, not studying them from university offices, or analyzing data sets from a comfortable distance, but on the streets, in the encampments, doing street-level engagement and intervention. When I read yet another opinion piece (“Homelessness in Seattle: We can’t unsee it.” Dec. 28, 2025) attributing our homelessness crisis primarily to housing costs, I have to ask: Are we really going to continue trusting consultants and researchers over what our own eyes tell us?

The December piece by Walter Hatch follows a familiar pattern in academia: Start with a conclusion, in this case, that “it’s a housing problem,” then find data to support it. However, those of us working on the ground are aware of a critical fact that these analyses consistently overlook: There’s a fundamental distinction between the “crisis population” living in visible squalor on our streets and individuals who are the working poor — couch-surfing, living with family or struggling with roommates to afford rent.

We cannot conflate these populations. They are not the same.

Zero Solutions Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is getting hammered after another disruptive sweep under her new administration. But the criticism isn’t coming from her comrades with far-left activist group Stop the Sweeps Seattle. Homeless drug addicts say her promise to do things differently from the previous administration hasn’t materialized. The vast majority of the people living at the MLK Jr. Way encampment rejected services and shelter options Wednesday morning, then fled into the deep woods. We Heart Seattle’s Andrea Suarez calls them the “service resistant.” And right now, Mayor Wilson has offered zero solutions to address this group causing the most harm to themselves and the community.

“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.

Drug Addiction Overruns the City Streets Since the weekend, I have now counted more than 100 drug tents in Seattle’s Chinatown-ID and Beacon Hill neighborhoods which are next to each other. This is obviously an undercount since I can’t be everywhere. Drug addicts have also taken over Dr. Jose Rizal Park. Since outgoing Mayor Bruce Harrell has given up on the city, I am keeping a running list of encampments for Mayor-elect Katie Wilson. But it’s unclear if she will do anything about it. Btw, stop enabling these addicts by giving them free tents. The non-profits and virtue signaling Seattle residents are keeping vulnerable people on the streets. Get them into shelters, drive them to treatment, or send them home. Read More ›

As Seattle considers sanctioned homeless camps again, we stand at a familiar crossroads. I’ve spent five years with We Heart Seattle doing boots-on-the-ground outreach and cleanup, alongside lived experience advisors who have worked in and managed prior sanctioned camps, including Share/Wheel, Nickelsville, Camp United We Stand, and run low-barrier shelters. We’ve seen what fails. More importantly, we know what could work. The skepticism about sanctioned camps is warranted. Past attempts became semi-permanent encampments with no path forward. But dismissing the concept entirely ignores a critical gap in our system: where do people go when they’re too unstable for housing but desperate to get off the streets? Seattle’s homeless crisis isn’t one problem—it’s many. The “crisis population” living on our streets Read More ›

Earlier this month, and in cooperation with Discovery Institute, Capital Research Center published “Infiltrated: The Ideological Capture of Homeless Advocacy.” Since then, reporter and Senior Fellow Jonathan Choe presented the report directly to President Donald Trump, and now news outlets like Daily Mail and NewsNation are following up with their own reporting on the crisis. NewsNation NewsNation sent reporter Rich McHugh to Seattle, where he interviewed Jonathan Choe, We Heart Seattle founder Andrea Suarez, and Seattle Police Officers Guild president Mike Solan about the crossover between far-left radicals and industries purported to help the homeless. From the NewsNation report: A report from two conservative think tanks alleged that members of antifa, the decentralized antifascist movement, have embedded themselves within the Read More ›

Last week’s The Great Debate hosted by The Emperor’s Group and We Heart Seattle at the Washington Athletic Club was attended by hundreds of voters. And one thing was abundantly clear: Seattle’s approach to our behavioral health crisis needs immediate reinforcement. As someone working daily with the city’s most vulnerable residents, I believe we can chart a compassionate course that honors both human dignity and public safety. The solution isn’t about choosing between “Harm Reduction” drug policies and accountability—it’s about creating a comprehensive system that meets people in crisis where they are and guides them toward recovery and independence. At We Heart Seattle, our street team—composed entirely of people in recovery—connects two to three individuals to treatment every week. This Read More ›

Exclusive Controversial homeless services provider Plymouth Housing banned me, We Heart Seattle’s Andrea Suarez and podcaster Brandi Kruse from a secret ground breaking ceremony in Redmond, WA. But I exposed them anyway. “Our Faces Were Plastered Everywhere” On Wednesday, Plymouth hosted a private ceremony at the Hilton Garden Inn. It was invite only. Sources told me photos of our faces were plastered everywhere and security was told to keep us out. Brandi Kruse’s Reporting Kruse has been annihilating Plymouth. Our Report on Low Barrier Housing So has Suarez. She helped me expose all the crime, chaos, and death at Plymouth facilities. Plymouth Housing/PorchLight Chaos And lately, I’ve been ferociously covering the Plymouth Housing/PorchLight campus disaster in Bellevue. Residents are now Read More ›

Breaking A shooting in Seattle’s Little Saigon neighborhood sent people running for cover late Friday afternoon. Witnesses say a White male unloaded several shots from a car window, targeting another man near the corner of the problematic 12th Ave & Jackson St intersection. Seattle Ranks Fourth Worst for Crime in Nation The victim was shot in the arm but is expected to survive. We Heart Seattle’s Andrea Suarez and I were doing outreach when the commotion broke out. This violence is being fueled by drugs and is another reason why Seattle ranks fourth worst in the nation for total crime, nearly triple the national average. Out-of-Touch Leaders Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has lost control of public safety in this predominantly Read More ›

When Mount Baker neighbors in Seattle recently documented 49 tent encampments and 5 vehicle encampments within just a few blocks of schools, transit stations, grocery stores, parks and daycare centers, they weren’t conducting an academic exercise. They were mapping a crisis that has made their neighborhood unlivable. Their experience reveals everything wrong with Seattle’s approach to homelessness and public safety. I’ve spent years cleaning camps through We Heart Seattle, and I can tell you that what’s happening in Mount Baker isn’t unique. It’s the result of policies prioritizing the appearance of compassion over actual results. The question isn’t whether clearing downtown encampments and pushing problems to neighborhoods like Mount Baker is racist—though it absolutely impacts communities of color disproportionately. The Read More ›