Mayor Wilson’s Path to Housing

Seattle’s response to homelessness appears about to change. Mayor Katie Wilson took center stage Oct. 21 to announce her new plan. She committed to scaling up the “Streets to Housing” strategy used in Pioneer Square during last summer’s World Cup games.

The pilot program showed remarkable success, managing to place 70 out of 80 people into shelter or housing. It made use of an inventory (a “by-names” list) to track people, matching each individual to needed services. Nearly half of those assisted had been houseless for more than three years.

So far Mayor Wilson has drawn support for her attempt to try something new. She’s seeking to achieve results for the estimated 4,500 homeless in Seattle. To succeed her new plan would rely on a combination of city, business and service providers. The Pioneer Square model was achieved with partnership from the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA), Purpose Dignity Action and REACH.

Following the mayor’s announcement, DSA president Jon Scholes spoke at the press conference endorsing the mayor’s proposal and promising cooperation. He acknowledged the plan will be expensive. But he added, “What else is expensive is the status quo – trips to the emergency ward, impacts on small businesses and extra cleaning.” He said that there is growing consensus for the pilot’s “by-names” approach, the ability to track individual needs.

Putting the new plan into action depends on buy-in from the Seattle City Council. Already Wilson’s plan has seen tacit backing from councilmembers Dionne Foster, Robert Kettle and Eddie Lin. What is essential now is council approval of a $37 million allocation in the 2027 budget. That amount would lead to an increase in shelter, a dramatic departure since almost none was built in the four years before Wilson took office.

Mayor Bruce Harrell’s administration had relied on encampment removal. Those sweeps mainly shuffled people around, pushing them from block to block and into other neighborhoods. Wilson’s backers originally thought that the left-leaning mayor would eliminate sweeps, but she too has acted to remove encampments. She specifically targets encampments that occupy streets, sidewalks and parks saying that “public parks and sidewalks belong to the public.”

For the mayor’s new homeless plan to work, it will be necessary to build up Seattle’s stock of shelter units quickly. That means making roughly 960 units available within the first two years. Speedy development will require strategies such as allowing shelters to serve more residents — perhaps upping 100-unit limits to 150 and even 250 units where possible.

Inevitably the new plan has provoked some critics. One of them, right-wing radio host Jason Rantz, faulted the mayor’s approach, saying the city “doesn’t need another round of free apartments for active addicts.” Rantz alleged, “It’s basically the same plan that has failed.”

It is true the homeless crisis has stymied a string of Seattle mayors, as it has other mayors across the country. But this time Mayor Wilson has broad support from service providers and the business community. The DSA’s Scholes pointed out the Pioneer Square pilot project was successful signaling that the mayor “isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel.”

Fate of Wilson’s homeless plan now rests with the city council which is charged with approving the 2027 budget by the end of November. The mayor’s budget, delivered in September and based on lean revenue expectations, left little room for councilmembers’ favored projects. But then the October financial report uncovered $26 million that the council can obligate.

Councilmembers now are working on adjustments. Councilmember Rob Saka is proposing 20 amendments. He wants a professionally operated veterans’ shelter opened in West Seattle, $14 million for district transportation projects as well as $13 million for street repairs. Saka styles himself “the pothole king.”

Councilmember Robert Kettle is working to extend police hiring and restore $7.1 million cut from the Fire Department’s overtime funding. Maritza Rivera wants to obligate $418 thousand to pay for a two-year, no-bid contract with the National Network for Safe Communities to fund gun violence protection.

Other councilmembers also have favored projects. At-large councilmembers Dionne Foster and Alexis Mercedes Rinck have a slate of amendment to strengthen the housing sector, preventing displacement and assisting home retention through funding legal aid, estate planning and housing repairs. Foster is proposing a one-time $350,000 program to cancel medical debt for Seattle residents.

In all, councilmember are considering dozens of amendments, a number for costly on-going projects. As always with budgets, the devil is in the details. Will the mayor’s new homeless plan survive as proposed? We’ll know in a matter of weeks.