Jon Grant

No Explanation City of Seattle homelessness czar Jon Grant has abruptly quit, leaving Mayor Katie Wilson holding the bag on the massive drug fueled street crisis. No particular reason was given, but the city issued the following statement saying Grant “chose to resign effective June 1st after playing a key role in advancing the mayor’s highest priority: accelerating the development of new shelters with wraparound services to bring people inside.” My only interaction with Grant happened this past March when he refused to answer questions on the record about the mayor’s new tiny house villages. Grant’s Background Grant is a former executive with the Low Income Housing Institute, the organization behind the controversial tiny house villages known for open-air fentanyl Read More ›

A City in Urgency Seattle is moving rapidly to expand shelter for homeless drug addicts before the FIFA World Cup comes to the city. Faster than the public has been given time to fully understand. Mayor Katie Wilson set a goal of adding hundreds of new units in a matter of months. The strategy relies heavily on taxpayer dollars to expand tiny house villages. No one questions the urgency. But speed should not replace accountability and transparency. Lack of Transparency Right now, Seattle is making high-impact decisions about land, funding, and service delivery through a relatively tight network of policymakers, advisors, and providers. And the public has not been given a clear, transparent picture of how those decisions are being made. Read More ›