Homeless Advocates Find Red Flags in Proposed Charter Amendment
A new coalition called Compassion Seattle, led by former short-term Mayor Tim Burgess, unveiled a charter amendment last week that carves into the city's constitution several policies designed to "end the homelessness crisis."
The amendment lays out broad goals for Seattle's response to homelessness, such as creating at least 2,000 units of emergency shelter or permanent supportive housing no later than one year after the measure's passage, funding behavioral health services, and creating a "behavioral health rapid-response" team.
Homelessness providers have called on the city to implement some of these polices for years. With a swift path toward more shelter and more services, the Chief Seattle Club, the Public Defender Association, Evergreen Treatment Services, United Way King County, and the Housing Development Consortium have already signaled their support of the amendment. They join backers like the Downtown Seattle Association, which already donated $15,000 to the cause.
But some other homelessness advocates aren't on board because of red flags they see in the language. The measure, for instance, mandates spending without naming a funding source, and one provision might just codify encampment sweeps into the charter.
Read more: https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2021/04/06/56392603/homeless-advocates-find-red-flags-in-proposed-charter-amendment