service resistant

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson bragged about delaying an encampment sweep so she could place several homeless people into shelter and housing, implying this would be a new way of getting people off the streets. “There I talked with a woman who was five months sober,” Mayor Wilson said at her State of the City Address, “and had three small dogs. We were able to identify a spot for her in a tiny house village.” But after Wilson’s State of the City Address last week, We Heart Seattle’s Andrea Suarez did a simple follow-up to see if that woman with three dogs actually made it off the streets. “People don’t always accept the services they’re referred to,” Suarez explained. Surrounded by Read More ›

Displaced Another massive encampment sweep under Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson. More than 20 people were displaced Tuesday afternoon around the Ballard Bevmo liquor store. But biz owners are worried it might come roaring back. Homeless Say “No” to Shelter Instead of taking shelter and services offered by the city, most of the men and women just moved their tents down the road. Once again, the so called “service resistant” are the ones causing the most harm to themselves and the community. Wilson has no solutions for this group. Unintended Consequences The attitude of entitlement is also out of control. The drug addicts told me they would only move into a tiny house or fully furnished apartment. No sharing rooms with Read More ›

Nothing Has Changed Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is now dealing with a credibility problem. She said homeless outreach and sweeps would be done differently. But in reality, nothing has changed from the prior administration. On Friday, the MLK Jr. Way drug encampment was cleared for the second time in less than a month. The addicts returned immediately and set up tents in the very same spot or simply moved across the street. The so-called “service resistant” people do not believe cops will arrest them for illegal camping. Men and women out here also know for a fact City Attorney Erika Evans won’t prosecute for open-air drug use. That’s why Seattle keeps losing this game of Whack-A-Mole. BTW, anyone see District Read More ›

Making the Problem Worse The homeless drug crisis is out of control in Seattle. And it’s now evident Mayor Katie Wilson is going to make the problem worse. During her first State of the City address, she talked about building more housing and shelter. But no solutions to deal with mental illness or drug addiction ravaging the city. Sweep, Sweep, Sweep Aside from changing some policy language, she is pretty much doing the same thing as the last mayor of Seattle. Sweep, sweep, sweep. And the game of Whack-A-Mole continues. Same Old Same Old Wilson’s spokesperson recently told the Seattle Times that, “the mayor isn’t pursuing a significant shift in encampment clearing strategies from the previous administration.” Ignoring the Service Read More ›

Repeating Mistakes During Tuesday’s State of the City address, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson will say she is building more affordable housing to address the city’s homeless crisis. But she’s doubling down on the same “Housing First” policies that have failed this region for more than a decade and it won’t work. Not until she figures out how to deal with the “service resistant” class of people living on the streets. These are the men and women who are heavily addicted to drugs and refuse all shelter and treatment services currently available. Just drive down Rainier Ave S and you will find them everywhere. All the encampment sweeps under her watch have forced many people to move to this part of Read More ›

It’s Not About Housing Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood is turning into another human dumping ground. Seven Hills Park is covered with more than a dozen tents. Lots of couples in their 20’s with dogs running wild. We Heart Seattle’s Andrea Suarez is doing outreach this weekend but says this is the “service resistant” crowd. People are turning down services from the city and nothing is being done about it. Don’t believe the homeless industrial complex when they say all these people just need housing. One guy here has a tiny house but comes back to pitch a tent to hang out with his homies. Another fella can go home but has to address his drug addiction. Once again, the root Read More ›