governance

Breaking Arrest finally made in Burien homeless homicide investigation. Authorities say Nathaniel Scott stabbed Robert Thomas multiple times under the 146th Street bridge in December and left him to die. Scott allegedly confessed, but said the knife was simply used as a deterrent after Thomas blocked his pathway. Both men were homeless at the time. Court documents show Scott was living at the controversial Oasis Home Church encampment. Burien Community Support Coalition led by former city councilmember Cydney Moore is still running daily operations at the camp. She has not responded to my requests for comment. Oasis Pastor Mark Miller says he has no comment at this time. I’m being told Moore and Miller knew about the allegations but still Read More ›

Homeless Industrial Complex As I pointed out on Thursday, Plymouth Housing’s (@PlymouthHousing) website says the Kenmore facility is opening in 2025. Problem is, it hasn’t been approved by the city council. Based on last night’s vote, it’s likely toast. So I asked Plymouth CEO Karen Lee why her non-profit would take this presumptive posture. She declined to answer all my questions, including the one about failures of “housing first.” As I tried to squeeze in more questions, one of her handlers blocked my path and bumped me numerous times. It got so heated, a Kenmore cop had to intervene. Bottom line, the public must demand more transparency from all homeless non-profits. In my experience covering this beat, the ones that Read More ›

Breaking Kenmore City Council votes 6-1 to block controversial Plymouth Housing project (@PlymouthHousing) from coming into downtown. Angry residents claimed it was pitched as affordable housing for veterans and senior citizens. But then it got switched to housing for the chronically homeless and drug addicted individuals. Bottom line, Kenmore is saying “housing first” is a failure and the “low barrier” free for all drug culture will not be tolerated. This could set a precedent for other King County cities facing similar proposals from other housing providers. Numerous people said, “We don’t want to become the next Seattle.” FINAL VOTE: Nigel Herbig-No David Baker-No Angela Kugler-No Joe Marshall-No Melanie O’Cain-No Debra Srebnik-No Corina Pfeil-Yes The other part of the story, this Read More ›

Let’s take a one-week break from my reporting on California homelessness to celebrate this Big News! FR-6700-N-25! Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)! Maybe that sentence was MEGO to you (mine eyes glaze over) but it’s GOGOGO for government and nonprofit executives looking for federal dollars. The Department of Housing and Urban Affairs is passing out billions “in competitive funding to homeless services organizations across the country for supportive services and housing programs for people experiencing homelessness.” HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge announced, “As our nation faces a worsening housing crisis, it is imperative that we continue to invest in communities’ efforts.” Specifically, HUD is looking for projects that “end homelessness for all persons experiencing homelessness” and “use a Housing First approach.”  Read More ›

Download the report here. Shoddy Data Hid Failed State of Homelessness Program, Study Shows Seattle, WA – A study from the Fix Homelessness Initiative of Discovery Institute reveals the expensive failure of the government to run a now-defunct downtown outreach program in Seattle funded by the region’s leading foundations and corporations. It also reveals a lack of transparency from non-profits receiving millions in contracts from King County to address homelessness. “Information about the downtown program is hard to come by,” said Caitlyn Axe of Discovery Institute “But the data we have reveals ineffective use of millions in funding while private nonprofits are accomplishing far more with far less.” Axe’s research examined the multi-million dollar Partnership for Zero (PfZ) homelessness program Read More ›

Listen to Robert Marbut discuss how to solve the mental health crisis with radio host Ari Hoffman on KVI. Listen now to the August 29 episode.

In Case You’re Wondering During Wednesday night’s Republican primary debate, FOX News anchor Martha MacCallum cited data showing homelessness in America is up 11% in the past few years, “the largest jump in recorded history.” The candidates were asked about their position on this issue. But the conversation ended up being dominated by crime, drugs, and public safety. We have to follow up on the homeless crisis topic at the next debate. We have to know what the GOP candidates are going to do about one of the most pressing issues facing this nation, especially in West Coast cities. Because the current “housing first” national plan is failing.