encampments

Hidden Seattle A few days ago, outreach group We Heart Seattle (@weheartseattle) found a stolen United Rentals (@UnitedRentals) forklift abandoned in a #Seattle homeless encampment along the East Duwamish Greenbelt. But there was much more. Walking further into the heavily wooded area, we discovered a constellation of tents and structures, even some set up under I-5 which is Washington State Department of Transportation (@WSDOT) property. We spoke to several people who say they are intentionally trying to live off the grid. This is a choice. Once again, this is not a housing issue. “Housing first” is not working. Yet this entire region is doubling down on this failed policy. There are people who do not want to pay rent, bills, Read More ›

Dismissing Dow In what may be one of the most defiant moments of the year, the #Burien business community and volunteers decided to ignore legal threats made by King County Executive Dow Constantine (@kcexec,) and proceeded to sweep a problematic homeless encampment on their own. No law enforcement showed up Thursday morning and it was completely orderly. This could be a playbook for other communities tired of being strong armed by #KingCounty. It all depends on how Martin v. Boise is interpreted and applied. Back in 2018, the landmark ruling struck down Boise’s city-wide public camping ban because it lacked adequate emergency public shelter beds. Non-profit Burien Cares (@BurienCares) officially took over the lease for this plot of land and Read More ›

A showdown is looming in Burien over a homeless encampment in the center of downtown. Now more than 20 tents deep, a resident walking her dog near the site describes homeless encampments like this one as “a national humanitarian crisis.” The encampment is being blamed for open air drug use, a spike in thefts, and sex trafficking.  Burien City Councilmember Stephanie Mora tells me she has become aware that “there have been several underage girls sleeping there.” The city decided to lease out the property that the encampment is on to Burien Cares, a local non-profit with plans to turn the site back into a dog park. Burien Cares put up signs around the property asking campers to leave by Read More ›

When Blake Mara and her business partner, Brian Cheeseman, started Heritage Coffee and Plant House in Tacoma’s Dome District last summer, they wanted their unique concept to become a destination for local artists and a community gathering place. Mara says she “saw the potential of the local neighborhood,” and Cheeseman adds he wanted to make the area “better for our whole community, not just us.” Like any new business, Mara and Cheeseman knew there was financial risk involved. Mara says she invested everything she owned in Heritage, but “had absolutely no idea how bad it was going to be.” Mara and Cheeseman could never have prepared for the homelessness crisis spiraling out of control at their doorstep. They tell me Read More ›

Send in Reinforcements With the sun shining and temps rising, I wanted to see what it looked like in #Chinatown-ID Thursday afternoon during the lunch rush. Without fail, I saw a crush of fentanyl addicts passed out on the street with foil littering the ground. One dude even spit on me and tried to punch me in the head. Remind me never to go out to a #Seattle drug den with flip flops. Thankfully, King County Sheriff’s Deputies were there and gave me some disinfectant to clean my sleeve and bailed me out. Otherwise, listen to the dire situation right now in the King County Jail. Deputies say they are NOT arresting anyone for misdemeanors out here! In other words, Read More ›

Encampment Shooter on the Loose Monday morning, I got tipped off about a shooting in #Chinatown-ID. But once I got there, law enforcement officers were swarming a homeless encampment off Dearborn St. under I-5 on Washington State Department of Transportation (@WSDOT) property. It’s finally being cleared later this week. One person was shot in the ankle. The circumstances remain unclear. Shooter is still on the run. I returned later in the evening and bumped into some fentanyl addicts who were clueless about what happened. More crime and drug related problems in Councilmember Tammy Morales’ (@CMTammyMorales) district. Lets see how she votes on the proposed bill to make open air drug use a misdemeanor. #Seattle @GovInslee @MayorofSeattle @kcexec @SeattleCouncil @KCCouncil @KingCoRHA Read More ›

(The Center Square) – The 2023 point-in-time count numbers show a significant increase for individuals and families without a permanent abode in Spokane, though a large encampment had been drawing down at the time. According to the 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress released earlier this year, “homelessness in Washington state increased 10% overall from 2020 to 2022,” and the Spokane Regional numbers over that same time period are a significant increase on that percentage. The 2023 data, presented during Thursday’s Spokane City Council Study Session, shows 2,390 people from 2,136 households were counted as homeless this year. This is a significant increase compared to the 2022 numbers showing 1,757 people from 1,513 households, a rise of 36% and 41% for Read More ›

(The Center Square) – The One Seattle Homelessness Action Plan’s first count of 2023 reveals the verified homeless tent count is down 42% from the end of last year. The latest count conducted in March by the city found 414 tents within the city limits. That is down from 712 counted in December 2022. The SODO District had the most tents and RVs counted with 158 combined. The city attributes the drop in tent numbers to its recently-launched Unified Care Team, alongside its partnership with the King County Regional Homelessness Authority. According to the city, its Unified Care Team facilitated 1,831 referrals to shelters and tiny house villages last year, with the help of the authority and 30 outreach providers.  The city Read More ›

It Keeps Expanding Four new tents popped up near the skate bowl over the weekend at Hubbard Homestead Park (@SeattleParks, @SeattleShines) bringing the grand total to 19. This homeless encampment is on the city’s radar, but there is no timeline yet on when it will be removed. Neighbors and local biz owners say it’s become a blight on the Northgate community. Along with the overwhelming use of fentanyl, some of the campers are also being blamed for thefts in the area. Someone went on the Nextdoor app and claimed a tent was being used to run a meth lab. Of course I had to check it out. Otherwise, everyone living here was super accommodating and wanted me to tell their Read More ›

It Was Inevitable First tent just showed up to the Leary Triangle in Ballard. City removed the fencing and concrete blocks around this parcel last week, hoping to turn this into a dog park. Meanwhile, the tent encampments in the area continue to expand. The 72 hour parking rule is being enforced, but the RV’s keep coming back. Councilmember Dan Strauss (@CMDanStrauss) has his hands full. Marc Dones and the @KingCoRHA needs to do more outreach here. I counted at least 30 tents and RV’s in this area alone. No end in sight for this part of #Seattle. @GovInslee @kcexec @MayorofSeattle @seattlecouncil @KCCouncil @SeattleParks @seattledot Block Party’s Over…Sort of Earlier this month, SDOT removed the blocks around Leary Triangle. But Read More ›