King County's hotel shelters help address one crisis while potentially hiding another Seattle and King County have been experimenting with using hotel rooms to house people rather than directing them to crowded homeless shelters. But some service providers fear the hotel rooms could be hiding another crisis: drug overdoses. Kevin Kniestedt Katie Campbell Play AudioListen 6 mins
The toll of a homelessness 'experiment' In the last year or soa program from the King County Regional Homelessness Authority moved hundreds of people from the streets into housing. This week, the authority said it’s ending that effort. In a minute, Seattle Times reporter Anna Patrick will lay out what happened and detail the broken trust left behind. Clare McGrane Patricia Murphy Play AudioListen 15 mins
Program pledging to get every unsheltered person off downtown Seattle’s streets comes to an end In February of 2022, the King County Regional Homelessness Authority announced an ambitious program promising to reduce unsheltered homelessness in downtown Seattle to zero — potentially within a year. But 19 months later, the organization announced the end of Partnership for Zero, after only meeting a fraction of its goal. Mike Davis Sarah Leibovitz Play AudioListen 18 mins
Burien bans camping Burien City Council took the latest step in its debate over how to respond to a camp of 40 unhoused people Monday. It banned camping in the city. There are no nearby shelters, which may make relocation difficult for 40 or so residents living outside. Publicola Editor and Publisher Erica Barnett is here to tell us what it could mean. Clare McGrane Patricia Murphy Play AudioListen 13 mins
Residents and staffers voice safety concerns about some homeless housing facilities Since 2015, Seattle has seen a big push to develop supportive housing facilities. These units are available to residents living with mental illness, substance abuse orders, physical or mental disabilities, and extreme poverty. But residents and staffers have voiced concerns over the safety at some of these residences. Mike Davis Noel Gasca Amy Radil Play AudioListen 25 mins
Why is liberal Seattle appealing to the conservative U.S. Supreme Court over homeless camp sweeps? The city of Seattle, the liberal paradise of legal weed and autonomous zones, is asking for help from the most conservative U.S. Supreme Court in almost a century. Seattle joined a dozen other cities, including Tacoma and Spokane, to ask the justices to overturn two Ninth Circuit Court rulings that restrict when they can sweep homeless encampments, known as Grants Pass v. Johnson and Martin v. Boise. Hans Anderson Libby Denkmann Play AudioListen 23 mins
Bellevue leaders ‘not proud’ of delays to open parking lot for people living in vehicles After months of delays, the city of Bellevue is still waiting to open its first parking lot for people living in cars and RVs. City leaders say no viable human services organization has applied to run the site. Casey Martin
Seattle wants the legal right to sweep The practice of sweeping encampments of unhoused people is controversial. A federal circuit ruling made it illegal in certain circumstances and went as far as to describe the practice as cruel and unusual. But now, progressive cities on the west coast are hoping the conservative Supreme Court will intervene. Seattle Times reporter Greg Kim is here to tell us why officials in Seattle and other cities want the ruling overturned, and what they’d plan to do without restrictions. Vaughan Jones Patricia Murphy Matt Martin Play AudioListen 14 mins
Burien's camping ban is now in effect There’s been a fierce fight in Burien about the city’s homeless population. People living in encampments have been moving around for months. Burien City Council voted to implement a camping ban in late September. It went into effect yesterday. KUOW’s Casey Martin has been following this developing story for months and is here to tell us about it. Patricia Murphy Caroline Chamberlain Gomez Play AudioListen 10 mins
Burien church proposes hosting homeless tent encampment as city's camping ban takes effect Oasis Home Church in Burien wants to open its parking lot as a space for people to temporarily live in their tents. Under a new city ordinance, it would be the only spot in Burien where people could do that legally. But now Burien’s city manager says the church doesn’t have the right paperwork to open the camp. Casey Martin
