Fix Homelessness How to rebuild human lives
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sweep

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SODO Encampment Back After Continuous Sweeps

SODO Today Out of all the encampments across Seattle, this one near 3rd Ave & Holgate St could be the most frustrating one for biz owners. I have watched this place get cleared close to a dozen times now. Lots of tax payer dollars wasted. But it keeps on coming back. The most recent sweep happened leading up to the MLB All-Star game back in July. It looked impeccable. But one by one, all the tents and RV’s started coming back. Once again, sweeping is not the issue. The city will probably do that again. However, nothing is being done to get in front of these situations before spiraling out of control. This is the epitome of whack a mole. Read More ›

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People Living Out of RVs in SODO Say They Would Not Move to an RV Lot

Recurring Nightmare Remember back in July when the city cleared dozens of RV’s and tents along this stretch of 3rd Ave in SODO? Officials said it was already planned and had nothing to do with the MLB All-Star Game coming to T-Mobile Park. Well, all the fellas are back. It’s the same folks who have been cleared multiple times and know the game. All of them tell me they have been offered shelter and services numerous times. They don’t want to go to any future RV lots either because this is prime location near all the food banks, drug dealers, and it’s easy access to the heart of the city. By the way, this is CM Tammy Morales’ (@CMTammyMorales, @TammyMoralesSEA Read More ›

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Thousands of Needles Removed from North Seattle Freeway Encampment

Bailing Out Government Again At this point, most of us know about the incredible exploits of We Heart Seattle (@weheartseattle.) This homeless outreach group is consistently one of the most impactful in the region because of the dynamic leadership of Andrea Suarez. She continues to mobilize volunteers and also empowers the men and women living on the streets to help clean up encampments. This weekend, Suarez and her crew focused on one of the most problematic corridors in North Seattle, removing around one million pounds of trash. But they barely scratched the surface. The WSDOT (@wsdot) right of ways in this part of Seattle are now overwhelmed with tents and structures. From Northgate to University District, it’s almost like the Read More ›

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Repeat Offender Burns Down Encampment, Released Without Charges

Caught on Camera It’s hard to tell, but neighbors say the man walking inside the Mercer St. encampment in South Lake Union is Paris Alcantera. In this surveillance video, you can see him watching the flames and pacing back and forth. He was arrested for setting a massive blaze on August 14. Alcantera admits he did it, but says he accidentally knocked over a candle inside a tent. Either way, he was released without charges being filed. Alcantera is a prolific repeat offender with a lengthy rap sheet dating back to 1998 with three felonies, 14 gross misdemeanors, three dozen prior arrests including rape in the third degree, and multiple substance charges. There’s concern he’s going to continue with this Read More ›

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King County spends $65M to move 300 homeless people out of freeway camps

By Spencer Pauley – The Center Square (The Center Square) – One year and more than $65 million into Washington state’s Right of Way Safety Initiative, nearly 300 homeless people have been moved off state highway rights of way in King County.  The Right of Way Safety Initiative closes encampments in areas around highways by providing shelter or housing to the estimated thousands of people living there. The King County Regional Homelessness Authority first began operations under the initiative in June 2022, with the majority of state funding being sent to the organization that fall. As of July 1, 327 homeless individuals were engaged by KCRHA at some 10 encampments, with 292 of those people moved inside. Nineteen went directly to permanent Read More ›

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Enticing People to Change

If we define “home” as a solid dwelling fixed to a particular spot, many Native Americans were voluntarily homeless, as hunters and gatherers are. They would follow their food supply, which was on the move. How could they be convinced to change? European Americans wanted to convince Native Americans that a settled life was better. Their position was Housing, Food, and Clothing first. Their belief: If Native Americans saw they could be warm and well-fed in cold weather rather than freezing and hungry, they would voluntarily settle down. If they became accustomed to products of civilization like fine clothing and (some craftily said) alcohol, they would want to settle down. That worked for some but not for others. Native culture Read More ›

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City of Burien Continues to Clear Encampments Despite King County “Legal Threat”

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 ›