1 00:00:10,339 --> 00:00:12,583 Well, good morning, everyone. 2 00:00:12,583 --> 00:00:15,345 Thank you so much for being here today. 3 00:00:15,345 --> 00:00:18,155 I'm Katie Wilson, Seattle's mayor, very 4 00:00:18,155 --> 00:00:21,344 excited to be here with some big announcements. 5 00:00:21,344 --> 00:00:23,696 It is the fall season, and I hope you're all 6 00:00:23,696 --> 00:00:24,291 enjoying it. 7 00:00:24,291 --> 00:00:26,178 The leaves are changing color with bright 8 00:00:26,178 --> 00:00:27,710 hues of red and orange. 9 00:00:27,710 --> 00:00:28,838 Seasons change. 10 00:00:28,838 --> 00:00:31,660 So today I would like to share with you some 11 00:00:31,660 --> 00:00:34,045 major changes that we are making in the City of 12 00:00:34,045 --> 00:00:37,539 Seattle in collaboration with many of the people in this 13 00:00:37,539 --> 00:00:38,426 room today. 14 00:00:38,426 --> 00:00:40,820 First I want to say thank you to my 15 00:00:40,820 --> 00:00:42,987 colleagues on the City Council who are standing here 16 00:00:42,987 --> 00:00:43,579 alongside me. 17 00:00:43,579 --> 00:00:46,106 Councilmember Foster, Council member 18 00:00:46,106 --> 00:00:48,137 Lin, and Council member Kettle. 19 00:00:48,137 --> 00:00:50,591 Thank you to the Downtown Seattle Association. 20 00:00:50,591 --> 00:00:52,103 I see folks in the audience here. 21 00:00:52,103 --> 00:00:53,353 Thank you for being here. 22 00:00:53,353 --> 00:00:55,536 And to all the neighborhood business 23 00:00:55,536 --> 00:00:58,493 groups that are partners in this initiative to tackle 24 00:00:58,493 --> 00:01:00,798 our homelessness crisis with renewed energy 25 00:01:00,798 --> 00:01:02,145 and determination. 26 00:01:02,145 --> 00:01:04,438 Thank you to our housing, shelter, 27 00:01:04,438 --> 00:01:06,019 and service providers. 28 00:01:06,019 --> 00:01:10,230 DESC, REACH, Chief Seattle Club, Plymouth, Everyone 29 00:01:10,230 --> 00:01:13,453 Deserves Housing, LIHI, PDA, who I think are all 30 00:01:13,453 --> 00:01:14,659 represented in the room today. 31 00:01:14,659 --> 00:01:16,167 Hopefully I didn't forget anyone. 32 00:01:16,167 --> 00:01:18,459 And thank you to all the others who could 33 00:01:18,459 --> 00:01:21,501 not make it, but who are no less committed to this 34 00:01:21,501 --> 00:01:25,000 work. And thank you to Community Solutions, whose 35 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:27,272 nationally recognized framework we are learning 36 00:01:27,272 --> 00:01:29,659 from, and whose annual conference I had the 37 00:01:29,659 --> 00:01:32,060 pleasure of speaking at yesterday. 38 00:01:32,060 --> 00:01:34,438 And finally, big thank you to my team here 39 00:01:34,438 --> 00:01:35,066 at the city. 40 00:01:35,066 --> 00:01:37,078 Director Kim and Director Pham who are 41 00:01:37,078 --> 00:01:40,546 here today, to our Unified Care team, and to the staff 42 00:01:40,546 --> 00:01:44,055 at HSD and every department that is involved in our 43 00:01:44,055 --> 00:01:45,927 homelessness response. 44 00:01:45,927 --> 00:01:47,980 For years, mayors and their 45 00:01:47,980 --> 00:01:50,894 teams have come and gone, but the moral outrage of 46 00:01:50,894 --> 00:01:54,278 homelessness in one of the wealthiest cities in 47 00:01:54,278 --> 00:01:58,000 the richest country in the world has only worsened. 48 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:02,441 In the four years before I took office, unsheltered homelessness 49 00:02:02,441 --> 00:02:05,760 increased by over 50 percent, and this is unacceptable. 50 00:02:06,799 --> 00:02:10,018 On any given night, thousands of men, women, and children 51 00:02:10,018 --> 00:02:13,000 in this city have no place to call home. 52 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:17,000 Well over half don't even have the benefit of a shelter roof. 53 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:18,479 Let us be clear. 54 00:02:18,479 --> 00:02:21,883 Homelessness is not a natural occurrence. 55 00:02:21,883 --> 00:02:23,681 It is a policy failure. 56 00:02:23,681 --> 00:02:26,032 And we see this from Little Saigon to the 57 00:02:26,032 --> 00:02:28,580 Chinatown International District, from Green Lake 58 00:02:28,580 --> 00:02:32,818 to Roosevelt, Beacon Hill to the Rainier Valley, West 59 00:02:32,818 --> 00:02:34,610 Seattle, and Ballard. 60 00:02:34,610 --> 00:02:36,502 My predecessor's administration 61 00:02:36,502 --> 00:02:38,840 moved extraordinary numbers of people from 62 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:41,729 block to block and from neighborhood to neighborhood, 63 00:02:41,729 --> 00:02:44,979 largely without meaningful offers of shelter and 64 00:02:44,979 --> 00:02:49,143 services. Those poor outcomes fostered cynicism. 65 00:02:49,143 --> 00:02:50,430 I believed that we had to do 66 00:02:50,430 --> 00:02:52,639 better and that was one of the big reasons that I 67 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:54,342 ran for mayor last year. 68 00:02:54,342 --> 00:02:57,840 And that is why when I stepped into office my first 69 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:01,223 priority was to build a lot more shelter fast. 70 00:03:01,223 --> 00:03:03,360 And not just any shelter, but 71 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:07,092 shelter that can accommodate people who need intense support 72 00:03:07,092 --> 00:03:08,520 to get back on their feet. 73 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:11,550 I brought together our city departments and tasked them with 74 00:03:11,550 --> 00:03:14,955 figuring out how to accelerate the process of identifying 75 00:03:14,955 --> 00:03:17,620 and standing up new sites, and they did. 76 00:03:17,620 --> 00:03:21,054 I am proud that by the end of this year, we will have opened 77 00:03:21,054 --> 00:03:24,173 over 400 new units of shelter, with a total of nearly 78 00:03:24,173 --> 00:03:26,758 1,000 coming online by the end of next year, 79 00:03:26,758 --> 00:03:28,947 pending the city council's approval of the funds 80 00:03:28,947 --> 00:03:29,960 in my proposed budget. 81 00:03:35,318 --> 00:03:38,258 We are doing this work in a challenging time. 82 00:03:38,258 --> 00:03:41,604 Many forces outside our control, including Trump's wars and 83 00:03:41,604 --> 00:03:45,276 tariffs and threats to permanent supportive housing, are creating 84 00:03:45,276 --> 00:03:48,377 the conditions that will tend to push even more people into 85 00:03:48,377 --> 00:03:51,752 homelessness. But precisely because of these 86 00:03:51,752 --> 00:03:54,877 headwinds, we have a duty to excel at the work we can 87 00:03:54,877 --> 00:03:57,842 control. We have a duty to use our resources 88 00:03:57,842 --> 00:04:01,735 carefully and efficiently to achieve the maximum impact. 89 00:04:01,735 --> 00:04:04,800 I am not interested in making excuses or kicking 90 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:06,454 the can down the road. 91 00:04:06,454 --> 00:04:08,657 So here is what we are going to 92 00:04:08,657 --> 00:04:12,056 do. We are going to scale up what we know works. 93 00:04:12,056 --> 00:04:16,360 Specifically, we are launching a coordinated effort to use 94 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:19,560 our shelter beds with the most intensive services 95 00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:22,533 to the greatest effect by focusing on the unsheltered 96 00:04:22,533 --> 00:04:24,939 individuals who are having the greatest impact on 97 00:04:24,939 --> 00:04:27,019 our neighborhoods and our public space. 98 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:33,024 This summer's World Cup was a fabulous experience for 99 00:04:33,024 --> 00:04:35,980 our city and part of that was the success of a pilot 100 00:04:35,980 --> 00:04:38,740 program in Pioneer Square which achieved a nearly 101 00:04:38,740 --> 00:04:42,632 90% success rate placing unsheltered individuals 102 00:04:42,632 --> 00:04:44,300 into shelter or housing. 103 00:04:44,300 --> 00:04:47,985 So today I am announcing that we are expanding this program 104 00:04:47,985 --> 00:04:49,639 to other parts of Seattle. 105 00:04:49,639 --> 00:04:52,211 And we are doing this with efficiency, using 106 00:04:52,211 --> 00:04:55,480 existing resources, marrying my shelter acceleration 107 00:04:55,480 --> 00:04:58,139 initiative with this proven model. 108 00:04:58,139 --> 00:04:59,620 Here's how it worked. 109 00:04:59,620 --> 00:05:03,658 In June, weeks before the first World Cup match, when Belgium 110 00:05:03,658 --> 00:05:07,459 drew 1-1 with Egypt at Lumen Field in front of 66,000 fans, 111 00:05:07,459 --> 00:05:09,862 the Streets to Housing pilot launched with 112 00:05:09,862 --> 00:05:11,000 the city's support. 113 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:13,963 This was an effort led by the Downtown Seattle Association 114 00:05:13,963 --> 00:05:16,564 and a coalition of service organizations using the 115 00:05:16,564 --> 00:05:18,259 Community Solutions Framework. 116 00:05:19,259 --> 00:05:22,293 These partners shared data, followed individuals from 117 00:05:22,293 --> 00:05:25,004 outreach to successful placement into shelter or 118 00:05:25,004 --> 00:05:27,778 housing, and monitored what happened thereafter. 119 00:05:27,778 --> 00:05:30,687 Not only were 70 out of 80 people placed into 120 00:05:30,687 --> 00:05:34,079 shelter or housing, but these were not easy cases. 121 00:05:34,079 --> 00:05:37,173 47% of those individuals had been homeless for 122 00:05:37,173 --> 00:05:38,680 more than three years. 123 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:42,100 77% suffered from addiction or mental illness, 124 00:05:42,100 --> 00:05:43,639 and 16% were seniors. 125 00:05:44,639 --> 00:05:48,016 The partners used a by-name list, identifying every 126 00:05:48,016 --> 00:05:51,699 individual living unsheltered in that area and offering 127 00:05:51,699 --> 00:05:53,079 wraparound support. 128 00:05:53,079 --> 00:05:56,302 Instead of repeatedly referring people between disconnected 129 00:05:56,302 --> 00:05:59,223 parts of the homelessness response system, this program 130 00:05:59,223 --> 00:06:02,346 was highly centralized, zeroing in on specific barriers 131 00:06:02,346 --> 00:06:05,194 that specific people faced and connecting them to 132 00:06:05,194 --> 00:06:06,740 the appropriate resource. 133 00:06:06,740 --> 00:06:09,778 And it was also successful because of space available 134 00:06:09,778 --> 00:06:12,000 at Bayside, the first major new site 135 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:13,980 in my shelter acceleration initiative, 136 00:06:13,980 --> 00:06:15,879 which opened up in June. 137 00:06:15,879 --> 00:06:18,860 So now we will scale this success. 138 00:06:18,860 --> 00:06:21,220 That means working with more neighborhoods across Seattle 139 00:06:21,220 --> 00:06:23,480 to proactively develop by name lists 140 00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:26,680 that can be used in real time by the city and our partners. 141 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:30,687 It means prioritizing shelter placements for those individuals 142 00:06:30,687 --> 00:06:34,040 who are having the greatest impact on our public space. 143 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:35,819 The bottom line is this. 144 00:06:35,819 --> 00:06:39,278 Our public parks and public sidewalks belong to the public. 145 00:06:39,278 --> 00:06:41,615 They should be kept open and usable for 146 00:06:41,615 --> 00:06:43,220 their intended purposes. 147 00:06:43,220 --> 00:06:46,975 Scaling up this approach is how we can meet this reasonable 148 00:06:46,975 --> 00:06:50,886 expectation without merely pushing human beings around our 149 00:06:50,886 --> 00:06:52,879 city from one block to the next. 150 00:06:53,939 --> 00:06:56,750 We will go as fast as we can and I want to see 151 00:06:56,750 --> 00:06:58,899 steady visible improvements. 152 00:06:58,899 --> 00:07:02,543 The $37 million for shelter expansion in my budget proposal, 153 00:07:02,543 --> 00:07:06,355 a budget that I am proud to say closes the $175 million 154 00:07:06,355 --> 00:07:10,680 deficit I inherited, will be crucial to this effort. 155 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:13,855 So what is new today is the commitment from the array of 156 00:07:13,855 --> 00:07:17,451 partners in this room to scale this up with the city leading 157 00:07:17,451 --> 00:07:19,439 and coordinating this effort. 158 00:07:19,439 --> 00:07:22,543 What is also new is that this brings us into alignment with 159 00:07:22,543 --> 00:07:25,838 the nationally recognized community solutions framework, 160 00:07:25,838 --> 00:07:28,555 which has been used successfully in cities across 161 00:07:28,555 --> 00:07:31,853 the country, such as Atlanta, Charlotte, Anchorage, Kansas 162 00:07:31,853 --> 00:07:33,338 City, Houston, and Denver. 163 00:07:34,338 --> 00:07:37,204 In Denver, a New York Times analysis published 164 00:07:37,204 --> 00:07:40,290 last week showed their unsheltered population is 165 00:07:40,290 --> 00:07:41,759 down 64% in three years. 166 00:07:41,759 --> 00:07:45,360 Quite simply, we are doing what works for everyone else. 167 00:07:45,360 --> 00:07:47,860 This is a commitment to common sense. 168 00:07:47,860 --> 00:07:50,846 Make no mistake, this is the kind of striking 169 00:07:50,846 --> 00:07:54,800 progress that we're going to make here in the Emerald City. 170 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:55,875 Change is in the air. 171 00:07:55,875 --> 00:07:57,709 Let's enjoy the changing seasons. 172 00:07:57,709 --> 00:07:58,278 Thank you. 173 00:08:05,500 --> 00:08:08,747 So now I would like to turn it over to one of my colleagues on 174 00:08:08,747 --> 00:08:11,879 the city council who has a long history working on issues of 175 00:08:11,879 --> 00:08:14,699 housing and homelessness and also one of my fellow board 176 00:08:14,699 --> 00:08:16,629 members of the King County Regional Homelessness 177 00:08:16,629 --> 00:08:18,560 Authority please welcome Council Member Foster. 178 00:08:23,759 --> 00:08:25,911 Good morning everyone. 179 00:08:25,911 --> 00:08:27,524 A little bit okay. 180 00:08:27,524 --> 00:08:31,720 First of all let me just say I thank you so much to 181 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:34,394 Mayor Wilson for your leadership on this issue. 182 00:08:34,394 --> 00:08:37,139 I was really pleased to sponsor the Mayor Shelter 183 00:08:37,139 --> 00:08:39,668 acceleration legislation this year and I'm really 184 00:08:39,668 --> 00:08:42,397 pleased to be here today with such a broad coalition 185 00:08:42,397 --> 00:08:45,100 of community-based organizations, folks who 186 00:08:45,100 --> 00:08:47,753 represent the business community and treatment 187 00:08:47,753 --> 00:08:50,764 providers. And a special thanks to the staff at Evergreen 188 00:08:50,764 --> 00:08:53,360 Treatment Services, DSA, and everyone who's been a 189 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:55,548 part of this important project. 190 00:08:55,548 --> 00:08:57,980 So actually last year before I was on 191 00:08:57,980 --> 00:09:00,556 council I got the chance to go downstairs into 192 00:09:00,556 --> 00:09:03,158 Bertha Knight Landes for a summit on the 193 00:09:03,158 --> 00:09:05,360 neighborhood impact framework. 194 00:09:05,360 --> 00:09:07,340 Actually, the Seattle neighborhood impact framework. 195 00:09:07,340 --> 00:09:09,379 And as an aside, let me say that I'm happy 196 00:09:09,379 --> 00:09:11,557 that we're calling this the Streets to Housing Initiative 197 00:09:11,557 --> 00:09:13,259 because it's got a much better acronym. 198 00:09:14,460 --> 00:09:17,057 SNF, if you weren't catching that. 199 00:09:17,057 --> 00:09:19,778 What I saw at that convening was nothing short 200 00:09:19,778 --> 00:09:21,440 of the best of Seattle. 201 00:09:21,440 --> 00:09:24,500 It was neighborhood residents, it was business owners, 202 00:09:24,500 --> 00:09:27,000 treatment providers, housing providers, 203 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:29,571 all together around the table, figuring out how 204 00:09:29,571 --> 00:09:32,399 we successfully address unsheltered homelessness 205 00:09:32,399 --> 00:09:33,149 in our city. 206 00:09:33,149 --> 00:09:36,004 Today, we get to celebrate the results of that 207 00:09:36,004 --> 00:09:39,394 work, and we commit to building on it through the Downtown 208 00:09:39,394 --> 00:09:41,615 Seattle Streets to Housing Initiative. 209 00:09:41,615 --> 00:09:42,918 And here's what we know. 210 00:09:42,918 --> 00:09:45,019 This is an approach that works. 211 00:09:45,019 --> 00:09:47,363 87% of the individuals identified 212 00:09:47,363 --> 00:09:51,110 were placed into enhanced shelter or permanent housing 213 00:09:51,110 --> 00:09:52,447 in under two months. 214 00:09:52,447 --> 00:09:54,340 That success comes from case 215 00:09:54,340 --> 00:09:57,206 conferencing with housing providers and agencies. 216 00:09:57,206 --> 00:09:58,840 It lets us tailor our response 217 00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:01,240 and make sure that we are matching a person to a 218 00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:03,441 service that actually meets their needs. 219 00:10:03,441 --> 00:10:05,360 That means that we're getting people 220 00:10:05,360 --> 00:10:07,995 connected and they're staying there rather than 221 00:10:07,995 --> 00:10:10,639 cycling through a system that isn't designed to 222 00:10:10,639 --> 00:10:11,716 work for anybody. 223 00:10:11,716 --> 00:10:14,163 Rather than moving people from one place 224 00:10:14,163 --> 00:10:17,740 to one place, we actually move towards progress and real 225 00:10:17,740 --> 00:10:20,899 results. This success depends on a few things. 226 00:10:20,899 --> 00:10:24,445 One of those is continued ongoing coordination, and 227 00:10:24,445 --> 00:10:27,575 another is our commitment to investing, as the 228 00:10:27,575 --> 00:10:30,735 mayor already said, in expanded shelter services and 229 00:10:30,735 --> 00:10:32,432 keeping those shelters online. 230 00:10:32,432 --> 00:10:35,177 Simply put, if there's not a place for those folks 231 00:10:35,177 --> 00:10:37,748 on that by name list to go we can't succeed as 232 00:10:37,748 --> 00:10:40,875 council works through our budget process I believe it's 233 00:10:40,875 --> 00:10:44,177 critical that we protect these resources and that we make these 234 00:10:44,177 --> 00:10:46,153 investments so that we can continue to see 235 00:10:46,153 --> 00:10:48,639 the success that this initiative has already showed 236 00:10:48,639 --> 00:10:50,312 us as possible. 237 00:10:50,312 --> 00:10:51,471 Thank you. 238 00:10:51,471 --> 00:10:55,979 Thank you so much, Councilmember Foster. 239 00:10:55,979 --> 00:11:00,634 You've been such a champion for this work, and I just really 240 00:11:00,634 --> 00:11:03,700 appreciate your thoughtfulness and your commitment to 241 00:11:03,700 --> 00:11:04,495 problem solving. 242 00:11:04,495 --> 00:11:05,873 I think it's really important. 243 00:11:05,873 --> 00:11:07,940 Next up, I would like to welcome Councilmember 244 00:11:07,940 --> 00:11:11,259 Kettle, who is a big supporter of the Pioneer 245 00:11:11,259 --> 00:11:12,206 Square pilot. 246 00:11:12,206 --> 00:11:12,918 Thank you. 247 00:11:12,918 --> 00:11:15,009 Thank you, Mayor. 248 00:11:15,009 --> 00:11:19,331 I just want to start off by saying, you 249 00:11:19,331 --> 00:11:23,658 know, day in and day out, week in and week out, 250 00:11:23,658 --> 00:11:27,009 month after month and year after year, we do a 251 00:11:27,009 --> 00:11:30,812 little or we do nothing, and the circumstances remain 252 00:11:30,812 --> 00:11:31,450 the same. 253 00:11:31,450 --> 00:11:34,399 We can change, however, we must change and we 254 00:11:34,399 --> 00:11:38,518 must be practical and centered, informed by what is happening 255 00:11:38,518 --> 00:11:41,619 on our streets and upfront with what is happening on 256 00:11:41,619 --> 00:11:42,331 our streets. 257 00:11:42,331 --> 00:11:44,918 This is where Community Solutions approach can 258 00:11:44,918 --> 00:11:46,442 really make change the dynamic. 259 00:11:46,442 --> 00:11:49,259 This is why I supported and championed Community Solutions 260 00:11:49,259 --> 00:11:53,086 approach to include with my budget amendment last 261 00:11:53,086 --> 00:11:56,677 year before admittedly it went sideways derailed this is 262 00:11:56,677 --> 00:12:00,480 why we must have the lessons learned mentality generally and 263 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:03,995 specifically with the Pioneer Square project separately 264 00:12:03,995 --> 00:12:07,355 these lessons learned are why I supported the Mayor Shelter 265 00:12:07,355 --> 00:12:09,783 Initiative earlier this year with the Bayside 266 00:12:09,783 --> 00:12:12,863 and I want to thank Dan for being here that's 267 00:12:12,863 --> 00:12:16,538 in my district on that list and more broadly 268 00:12:16,538 --> 00:12:19,547 and I see Sharon Lee here why I've been at the 269 00:12:19,547 --> 00:12:22,086 Glassyard Commons uh you know groundbreaking and 270 00:12:22,086 --> 00:12:25,389 also supported of the Salmon Bay village project before 271 00:12:25,389 --> 00:12:28,128 that at the end of the day for me it's about 272 00:12:28,128 --> 00:12:32,200 public safety public health and homelessness and I should 273 00:12:32,200 --> 00:12:35,538 add it's about partnership too so this is where 274 00:12:35,538 --> 00:12:37,946 for example I want to again thank Mayor Wilson 275 00:12:37,946 --> 00:12:40,947 because we need to partner together I see director Ella 276 00:12:40,947 --> 00:12:43,700 Brooke in the audience I see director Kim here you 277 00:12:43,700 --> 00:12:46,023 know we need to work together between the 278 00:12:46,023 --> 00:12:49,273 executives and the legislative branches we also need to 279 00:12:49,273 --> 00:12:52,220 work with community and my first meeting on this 280 00:12:52,220 --> 00:12:58,240 topic was well over a year ago with John Scholes from DSA, 281 00:12:58,240 --> 00:13:01,200 but also as I call them the two Lisa's. 282 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:05,000 Lisa Nitze from Nitze-Stagen and Lisa Dugar from PDA, 283 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:08,340 represented here by Sam Wolf and others, 284 00:13:08,340 --> 00:13:09,980 and then later joined by Chloe. 285 00:13:09,980 --> 00:13:11,412 I can't see right now. 286 00:13:11,412 --> 00:13:13,557 There you go, Chloe, and others. 287 00:13:13,557 --> 00:13:15,720 But this was well over a year ago. 288 00:13:15,720 --> 00:13:17,399 So it's time for us to move forward. 289 00:13:17,399 --> 00:13:19,538 It's time for us to move in partnership between 290 00:13:19,538 --> 00:13:22,966 the different elements of government, partnering 291 00:13:22,966 --> 00:13:26,211 with community, bringing in those lessons learned, and 292 00:13:26,211 --> 00:13:27,368 then stepping forward. 293 00:13:27,368 --> 00:13:29,841 Because at the end of the day that's what's going to make 294 00:13:29,841 --> 00:13:32,080 a difference and as I've always said, if we're going to 295 00:13:32,080 --> 00:13:34,441 succeed in public safety, we also have to succeed 296 00:13:34,441 --> 00:13:36,129 in public health and homelessness. 297 00:13:36,129 --> 00:13:38,259 So again, thank you Mayor Wilson for having me. 298 00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:43,820 Thank you, Councilmember Kettle. 299 00:13:43,820 --> 00:13:46,745 We don't always agree on every little thing, and sometimes 300 00:13:46,745 --> 00:13:49,692 disagreements get blown up, but the fact is we are working 301 00:13:49,692 --> 00:13:52,719 together on so much, and I really appreciate your support 302 00:13:52,720 --> 00:13:55,038 for the shelter initiative and for this work. 303 00:13:55,038 --> 00:13:56,639 Thank you. 304 00:13:56,639 --> 00:14:01,048 Okay, next up, I am excited to introduce John Scholes of the 305 00:14:01,048 --> 00:14:04,884 Downtown Seattle Association, which has been such a leader 306 00:14:04,884 --> 00:14:07,509 in this work and really proud to partner as we work on 307 00:14:07,509 --> 00:14:10,057 revitalizing our downtown and addressing unsheltered 308 00:14:10,057 --> 00:14:11,931 homelessness in neighborhoods across the city. 309 00:14:11,931 --> 00:14:12,158 John. 310 00:14:14,220 --> 00:14:15,038 Thank You mayor and 311 00:14:16,158 --> 00:14:18,517 I imagine that many of you who've covered this 312 00:14:18,517 --> 00:14:21,057 issue for many years and have been at the same 313 00:14:21,057 --> 00:14:23,243 Press events that I've been at over the last 15 314 00:14:23,243 --> 00:14:25,599 or so are coming in with some amount of skepticism 315 00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:27,120 and cynicism. 316 00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:29,263 And I imagine that the folks that will 317 00:14:29,263 --> 00:14:33,043 read and view your stories will read them and view them with a 318 00:14:33,043 --> 00:14:35,855 fair amount of skepticism and cynicism. 319 00:14:35,855 --> 00:14:38,600 After all, it was 10 plus years ago that many 320 00:14:38,600 --> 00:14:41,089 of us were at a press conference declaring 321 00:14:41,089 --> 00:14:42,995 a state of emergency in Seattle. 322 00:14:42,995 --> 00:14:46,192 Before that, we had a 10-year plan to end homelessness 323 00:14:46,192 --> 00:14:47,096 in King County. 324 00:14:47,096 --> 00:14:49,200 More recently, Many of us gathered over 325 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:51,359 the Pike Place Market to announce a new plan 326 00:14:51,359 --> 00:14:54,090 from the Regional Homeless Authority to address 327 00:14:54,090 --> 00:14:56,340 homelessness in downtown Seattle. 328 00:14:56,340 --> 00:14:59,696 So I think whatever skepticism, cynicism you come in with, 329 00:14:59,696 --> 00:15:03,355 and whatever skepticism and cynicism your readers and 330 00:15:03,355 --> 00:15:07,658 viewers have around these issues is fair and warranted. 331 00:15:07,658 --> 00:15:10,344 Let me tell you why I'm optimistic about this 332 00:15:10,344 --> 00:15:13,464 announcement and what we are achieving, what we aim 333 00:15:13,464 --> 00:15:16,509 to achieve through scaling what was a significant 334 00:15:16,509 --> 00:15:18,177 success in Pioneer Square. 335 00:15:19,980 --> 00:15:22,320 The unification here, the unity of many different 336 00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:24,937 individuals and groups, I think is significant and new. 337 00:15:24,940 --> 00:15:28,340 And I credit Mayor Wilson for her leadership in aligning us. 338 00:15:28,340 --> 00:15:29,200 Seattle, we have a problem. 339 00:15:29,200 --> 00:15:30,298 We're going in the wrong direction. 340 00:15:30,298 --> 00:15:32,282 Just about every other metro is reducing unsheltered 341 00:15:32,282 --> 00:15:33,557 homelessness in their community. 342 00:15:33,557 --> 00:15:37,960 Our numbers are up significantly in the last four years. 343 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:41,240 This plan builds on what we know works, not just from national 344 00:15:41,240 --> 00:15:44,460 experts that have demonstrated what works in other cities, 345 00:15:44,460 --> 00:15:47,619 but what we've demonstrated here and the incredible service 346 00:15:47,619 --> 00:15:50,528 providers that we have here that in short amounts of time 347 00:15:50,528 --> 00:15:53,379 have brought lots of people with complex needs inside. 348 00:15:53,379 --> 00:15:55,576 The problem is that's been the exception, not the rule here. 349 00:15:55,580 --> 00:15:57,120 It's not been how we've done business. 350 00:15:57,120 --> 00:15:59,820 And this is a shift to focus us on this is how we 351 00:15:59,820 --> 00:16:01,278 know how to do business. 352 00:16:01,278 --> 00:16:04,822 We moved 85 people out of a park just a few blocks 353 00:16:04,822 --> 00:16:07,855 away several years ago, 40 folks off the 354 00:16:07,855 --> 00:16:11,085 streets of 3rd Avenue, and 70 folks off the 355 00:16:11,085 --> 00:16:14,700 streets of Pioneer Square just a few months ago. 356 00:16:14,700 --> 00:16:17,278 And so this idea that we have a lot of service-resistant 357 00:16:17,278 --> 00:16:19,301 people in our city, I just think is a myth, 358 00:16:19,301 --> 00:16:20,359 and it's not a thing. 359 00:16:20,360 --> 00:16:22,600 If we offer the right thing, if we offer the right service, 360 00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:24,647 if we understand who's out there, if we don't 361 00:16:24,647 --> 00:16:26,860 offer a one-size-fits-all, we can bring people 362 00:16:26,860 --> 00:16:29,302 inside instead of chasing them around the corner, down the 363 00:16:29,302 --> 00:16:30,399 block, or to the next park. 364 00:16:30,399 --> 00:16:31,740 So we know what works. 365 00:16:31,740 --> 00:16:34,937 And the big shift here is building on that, not making 366 00:16:34,937 --> 00:16:38,048 the exception for how we address homelessness in this 367 00:16:38,048 --> 00:16:40,663 city, but making it the rule and having expertise 368 00:16:40,663 --> 00:16:41,940 and input from national 369 00:16:43,038 --> 00:16:44,586 best practices and national organizations 370 00:16:44,586 --> 00:16:46,298 that have done this in other places, but building 371 00:16:46,298 --> 00:16:49,980 on what great service providers have done here in 372 00:16:49,980 --> 00:16:53,397 Seattle. And we moved some very complicated and challenged 373 00:16:53,397 --> 00:16:55,399 folks in short order off the streets of Pioneer 374 00:16:55,399 --> 00:16:57,355 Square. So we know we can do this. 375 00:16:57,355 --> 00:16:59,677 It's time for Seattle to unite around a 376 00:16:59,677 --> 00:17:02,307 strategy. The city is taking this responsibility 377 00:17:02,307 --> 00:17:04,663 back from the Regional Homelessness Authority. 378 00:17:04,663 --> 00:17:05,990 You can debate whether that's 379 00:17:05,990 --> 00:17:07,932 for the good or not, but it's the reality. 380 00:17:07,932 --> 00:17:09,548 And we should take that back in a 381 00:17:09,548 --> 00:17:12,948 way that brings us together, that has a clear strategy, 382 00:17:12,948 --> 00:17:16,414 that has clear data and a clear dashboard so that 383 00:17:16,414 --> 00:17:19,672 we can rebuild public confidence and trust in this 384 00:17:19,672 --> 00:17:23,337 work and in the investment that everybody's making, but also, 385 00:17:23,337 --> 00:17:25,269 most importantly, so that we can help the people 386 00:17:25,269 --> 00:17:26,817 that are suffering out on our streets. 387 00:17:26,817 --> 00:17:27,904 Because not only do we have a 388 00:17:27,904 --> 00:17:29,778 homelessness crisis in Seattle, but because so 389 00:17:29,778 --> 00:17:31,864 many people have been out there so long, we have 390 00:17:31,864 --> 00:17:33,461 a medical crisis on our streets. 391 00:17:33,461 --> 00:17:35,357 And we do need to offer and recalibrate 392 00:17:35,357 --> 00:17:37,721 the level of services that we're offering and providing in the 393 00:17:37,721 --> 00:17:40,211 facilities we're inviting people into because this is a 394 00:17:40,211 --> 00:17:41,509 medical crisis as well. 395 00:17:41,509 --> 00:17:44,180 And yes, it's expensive, but you know what's also 396 00:17:44,180 --> 00:17:46,748 expensive is the status quo. 397 00:17:46,748 --> 00:17:50,490 And we should total and add up what it costs 398 00:17:50,490 --> 00:17:53,883 for what we're doing now, the trips to the emergency 399 00:17:53,883 --> 00:17:56,169 room, the hospital, the impact to small businesses, 400 00:17:56,169 --> 00:17:58,409 the extra security being invested in, the 401 00:17:58,409 --> 00:18:01,001 extra cleaning that's being invested in. 402 00:18:01,001 --> 00:18:03,028 We should not discount what the status 403 00:18:03,028 --> 00:18:03,547 quo costs. 404 00:18:03,547 --> 00:18:05,617 So this will be expensive but it's entirely 405 00:18:05,617 --> 00:18:08,226 achievable. Seattle can do this and I fully expect 406 00:18:08,226 --> 00:18:10,201 to be here next year celebrating the progress 407 00:18:10,201 --> 00:18:12,116 that we've made across the city to bring more people 408 00:18:12,117 --> 00:18:14,545 inside. So thank you. 409 00:18:14,545 --> 00:18:16,297 Thank you John. 410 00:18:16,297 --> 00:18:20,337 I so appreciate your leadership and 411 00:18:20,337 --> 00:18:22,557 partnership in this effort. 412 00:18:22,557 --> 00:18:26,278 Okay, so this project, obviously at the core of it, 413 00:18:26,278 --> 00:18:29,016 is our service providers, the organizations that will 414 00:18:29,016 --> 00:18:31,684 be providing the shelter, the services, the support 415 00:18:31,684 --> 00:18:34,038 that people need to stabilize and get back on their feet. 416 00:18:34,038 --> 00:18:37,038 So next I would like to welcome Chloe Gale from REACH 417 00:18:37,038 --> 00:18:38,960 and Noah Fay from DESC. 418 00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:45,940 - Good morning, everyone. 419 00:18:49,077 --> 00:18:51,913 So we, I'm Chloe Gale from Evergreen Treatment 420 00:18:51,913 --> 00:18:54,680 Services with the REACH program for 30 years. 421 00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:57,326 We are really happy to see this planned redesign of 422 00:18:57,326 --> 00:19:00,038 our city's approach to unsheltered homelessness. 423 00:19:00,038 --> 00:19:02,248 We want to acknowledge the consortium that helped 424 00:19:02,248 --> 00:19:03,298 develop this approach. 425 00:19:03,298 --> 00:19:07,160 And this is a cross-sector team, as many have described already. 426 00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:10,372 So that includes a lot of our business partners some of whom 427 00:19:10,372 --> 00:19:13,519 you've seen up here the DSA, but I also want to acknowledge 428 00:19:13,519 --> 00:19:16,102 Ballard Alliance and the U District Partnership and 429 00:19:16,102 --> 00:19:18,740 the folks from the Chinatown International District and 430 00:19:18,740 --> 00:19:20,842 Little Saigon who come in here and joined us over 431 00:19:20,842 --> 00:19:23,001 the past several years This is built on a model 432 00:19:23,001 --> 00:19:25,700 that's already existed and we want to move it forward. 433 00:19:25,700 --> 00:19:28,885 Our providers here, also many standing 434 00:19:28,885 --> 00:19:31,920 behind me, have been really integral to making 435 00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:32,871 this work. 436 00:19:32,871 --> 00:19:37,736 Chief Seattle Club, Everyone Deserves Housing, DESC, 437 00:19:37,736 --> 00:19:41,923 PDA, I see Sharon from LIHI, and also Plymouth Housing 438 00:19:41,923 --> 00:19:44,798 Group are all here, all supporting this pathway. 439 00:19:46,077 --> 00:19:48,563 The plan has been built on the neighborhood impact 440 00:19:48,563 --> 00:19:50,097 framework as we've described. 441 00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:54,178 We've seen that neighborhood leaders, ambassadors, 442 00:19:54,178 --> 00:19:56,660 and outreach teams are great at identifying 443 00:19:56,660 --> 00:19:59,314 and case conferencing individuals who've had 444 00:19:59,314 --> 00:20:00,876 high neighborhood impact. 445 00:20:00,880 --> 00:20:03,876 But we rarely, if ever, have access to the kind of shelter 446 00:20:03,876 --> 00:20:06,749 and services that we need to resolve their concerns 447 00:20:06,749 --> 00:20:08,000 out in the community. 448 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:11,420 So we're pleased that this will change through this plan. 449 00:20:11,420 --> 00:20:15,298 We're eager to work with the HSD's outreach team 450 00:20:15,298 --> 00:20:19,059 and the UCT as a whole to be part of the continuum 451 00:20:19,059 --> 00:20:22,616 that solves what happens on the street and to 452 00:20:23,740 --> 00:20:30,357 bring the impactful individuals that we encounter 453 00:20:30,357 --> 00:20:34,057 outside, into care, and into service. 454 00:20:34,057 --> 00:20:36,057 As you have heard, this approach depends 455 00:20:36,057 --> 00:20:40,038 on an adoption of the mayor's shelter investment plan 456 00:20:40,038 --> 00:20:43,700 and the entire continuation of service from street 457 00:20:43,700 --> 00:20:45,778 into shelter and all the way into housing. 458 00:20:45,778 --> 00:20:47,876 So Noah's going to speak a little bit about that. 459 00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:49,337 Thank you, Chloe. 460 00:20:49,337 --> 00:20:50,038 Good morning, everybody. 461 00:20:50,038 --> 00:20:51,057 My name is Noah Fay. 462 00:20:51,057 --> 00:20:52,357 I'm with DESC. 463 00:20:52,357 --> 00:20:54,159 And we are proud to be partnering 464 00:20:54,160 --> 00:20:56,740 with so many skilled, committed community organizations 465 00:20:56,740 --> 00:20:59,886 and government leaders to come together to 466 00:20:59,886 --> 00:21:02,884 not only make new investments, but to make sure these 467 00:21:02,884 --> 00:21:05,904 investments best leverage the existing systems 468 00:21:05,904 --> 00:21:09,194 and programs to make our homeless response system 469 00:21:09,194 --> 00:21:11,480 work as efficiently as possible. 470 00:21:11,480 --> 00:21:14,709 This group knows full well that we can't simply expand shelter 471 00:21:14,709 --> 00:21:17,699 without designing pathways to promote people moving 472 00:21:17,699 --> 00:21:20,336 through our system and out of homelessness. 473 00:21:20,337 --> 00:21:23,114 While we don't have enough resources to solve for 474 00:21:23,114 --> 00:21:26,768 everything that's out there, we do have an opportunity to ensure 475 00:21:26,768 --> 00:21:30,084 the resources we do have are being used to their highest and 476 00:21:30,084 --> 00:21:33,400 best use, and that's what we're coming together here to do. 477 00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:36,067 We are working towards an aligned system where we 478 00:21:36,067 --> 00:21:38,931 are identifying people, we're prioritizing people 479 00:21:38,931 --> 00:21:41,794 with the right investments, and then we're creating 480 00:21:41,794 --> 00:21:44,527 pathways off the streets, out of shelter, and into 481 00:21:44,527 --> 00:21:46,219 permanent housing solutions. 482 00:21:46,220 --> 00:21:48,634 We are equally excited and appreciative for the 483 00:21:48,634 --> 00:21:51,105 commitment to explore how we can best utilize the 484 00:21:51,105 --> 00:21:53,701 high-quality portfolio of housing, particularly 485 00:21:53,701 --> 00:21:56,597 permanent supportive housing, we have in our community. 486 00:21:56,597 --> 00:21:59,755 This will ensure that there is meaningful alignment between 487 00:21:59,755 --> 00:22:02,911 outreach, shelter, and housing for people with the greatest 488 00:22:02,911 --> 00:22:06,005 challenges and the very programs specifically designed to 489 00:22:06,005 --> 00:22:08,972 meet their needs, all while continuing to work to restart 490 00:22:08,972 --> 00:22:12,440 the stalled Permanent Supportive Housing Development Pipeline. 491 00:22:12,440 --> 00:22:14,660 DESC is one of many community organizations who are 492 00:22:14,660 --> 00:22:17,092 committed to participating in this work, and we deeply 493 00:22:17,092 --> 00:22:19,259 appreciate the mayor's work to lead this effort. 494 00:22:19,259 --> 00:22:19,836 Thank you very much. 495 00:22:22,200 --> 00:22:26,420 Thank you so much. 496 00:22:28,117 --> 00:22:31,642 By way of closing, I want to go back to something that John 497 00:22:31,642 --> 00:22:35,538 said about cynicism, because I think that's absolutely true. 498 00:22:35,538 --> 00:22:39,114 I think that people are frustrated by not seeing 499 00:22:39,114 --> 00:22:41,077 results for so many years. 500 00:22:41,077 --> 00:22:44,778 And what I want you to know is that I share that frustration. 501 00:22:44,778 --> 00:22:47,432 And I think that everyone in this room and everyone 502 00:22:47,432 --> 00:22:50,278 standing here with me today shares that frustration. 503 00:22:50,278 --> 00:22:53,278 So the hope that I feel for this effort comes from 504 00:22:53,278 --> 00:22:56,208 the fact that I think we all agree that we cannot 505 00:22:56,208 --> 00:22:57,856 let our city be an outlier. 506 00:22:57,857 --> 00:22:59,953 We cannot let Seattle be an outlier in 507 00:22:59,953 --> 00:23:01,577 unsheltered homelessness. 508 00:23:01,577 --> 00:23:03,778 We have to solve this problem. 509 00:23:03,778 --> 00:23:06,546 And so I believe that there is the commitment in this 510 00:23:06,546 --> 00:23:08,219 room to do things differently. 511 00:23:08,220 --> 00:23:11,200 And we know what works and we are going to do it. 512 00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:13,159 And the key to this is partnership. 513 00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:15,076 And the depth of the partnerships that is 514 00:23:15,076 --> 00:23:18,038 represented in this room, I think is really unprecedented. 515 00:23:19,117 --> 00:23:21,077 And this is going to depend on partnership, 516 00:23:21,077 --> 00:23:23,337 not just among these organizations, 517 00:23:23,337 --> 00:23:26,117 but down to the level of individual neighborhoods. 518 00:23:26,117 --> 00:23:28,596 We will be working with the Ballard Alliance, 519 00:23:28,597 --> 00:23:31,055 with the U District Partnership, with business groups in 520 00:23:31,055 --> 00:23:32,480 neighborhoods around the city. 521 00:23:32,480 --> 00:23:34,625 We will be working with service providers, 522 00:23:34,625 --> 00:23:37,440 community organizations, individual business owners, 523 00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:40,317 residents, as we develop these by name lists so that we can be 524 00:23:40,317 --> 00:23:43,001 using our resources as effectively as possible 525 00:23:43,001 --> 00:23:45,419 to navigate people inside and to make a real 526 00:23:45,420 --> 00:23:47,434 difference in unsheltered homelessness. 527 00:23:47,434 --> 00:23:49,680 So I want to thank everyone for being here today. 528 00:23:49,680 --> 00:23:52,240 We're going to take some questions and I'll bring up my 529 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:54,692 press secretary, Ansel Hertz, who will be moderating 530 00:23:54,692 --> 00:23:55,459 those questions. 531 00:23:55,459 --> 00:23:55,919 Thank you. 532 00:23:57,117 --> 00:24:01,421 Yeah, so to best maximize the existing resources, Mayor, are 533 00:24:01,421 --> 00:24:05,976 you going to be focusing on like the most impacted neighborhoods 534 00:24:05,976 --> 00:24:09,519 or the highest need individuals citywide or a mix? 535 00:24:09,519 --> 00:24:11,076 Yeah, I would say a mix of that, right? 536 00:24:11,077 --> 00:24:13,674 And so we're developing kind of the details of that now, but 537 00:24:13,674 --> 00:24:16,486 there will be a combination of focus on specific neighborhoods 538 00:24:16,486 --> 00:24:19,134 where we're developing that by name list of the individuals 539 00:24:19,134 --> 00:24:21,625 in that neighborhood that we're focusing on navigating 540 00:24:21,625 --> 00:24:22,740 into shelter or housing. 541 00:24:22,740 --> 00:24:25,961 And at the same time there will be the opportunity 542 00:24:25,961 --> 00:24:28,586 to do you know special projects in a hotspot or 543 00:24:28,586 --> 00:24:31,057 for example I don't want to make any like specific 544 00:24:31,057 --> 00:24:33,290 promises since we're still developing the details 545 00:24:33,290 --> 00:24:35,526 but you can imagine you know we don't want people 546 00:24:35,526 --> 00:24:37,900 coming out of Harborview back into unsheltered 547 00:24:37,900 --> 00:24:39,813 homelessness so we're gonna have the opportunity as 548 00:24:39,813 --> 00:24:41,844 we're opening up these new shelter sites to think 549 00:24:41,844 --> 00:24:44,199 about how to use those beds in the most impactful way 550 00:24:44,200 --> 00:24:46,760 possible. 551 00:24:46,760 --> 00:24:49,538 Yeah, totally. 552 00:24:49,538 --> 00:24:57,443 So our unified care team has continued doing 553 00:24:57,443 --> 00:25:03,433 encampment removals at basically the same rate that 554 00:25:03,433 --> 00:25:06,441 they were doing removals before I entered office. 555 00:25:06,441 --> 00:25:08,824 We anticipate that the Unified Care Team 556 00:25:08,824 --> 00:25:10,278 will continue that work. 557 00:25:10,278 --> 00:25:12,979 And at the same time, while we're doing this initiative 558 00:25:12,980 --> 00:25:14,759 that really focuses on those individuals 559 00:25:14,759 --> 00:25:16,357 who are having the highest impact, 560 00:25:16,357 --> 00:25:19,439 we also have other kinds of shelter coming online, right? 561 00:25:19,440 --> 00:25:24,097 So the shelter acceleration initiative includes many units 562 00:25:24,097 --> 00:25:25,778 who are for the highest need individuals. 563 00:25:25,778 --> 00:25:28,200 It also includes more kind of intermediate units. 564 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:30,220 So as we're opening up new sites, 565 00:25:30,220 --> 00:25:31,939 the Unified Care Team is gonna be able 566 00:25:31,940 --> 00:25:34,152 to make more meaningful offers of shelter and 567 00:25:34,152 --> 00:25:36,750 services to people in encampments all across the 568 00:25:36,750 --> 00:25:39,519 city. So I would expect and hope that means that we 569 00:25:39,519 --> 00:25:42,107 will have higher rates of navigating people into 570 00:25:42,107 --> 00:25:44,901 that shelter as opposed to them moving to the next 571 00:25:44,901 --> 00:25:48,000 block. So they will be continuing their work and we 572 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:50,201 hope that that will begin to have a greater 573 00:25:50,201 --> 00:25:52,366 impact on the levels of unsheltered homelessness 574 00:25:52,366 --> 00:25:52,960 across the city. 575 00:25:54,019 --> 00:25:55,720 Mayor, you mentioned Denver's success 576 00:25:55,720 --> 00:25:57,380 when it comes to addressing homelessness. 577 00:25:57,380 --> 00:26:00,538 But it's like 64% of their homeless population went down. 578 00:26:00,538 --> 00:26:03,000 What is the measure of success in this case? 579 00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:05,577 Say if you put these programs in or you do this, 580 00:26:05,577 --> 00:26:06,679 but it's not as high as Denver's, 581 00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:08,317 what is success in your mind? 582 00:26:08,317 --> 00:26:10,380 Yeah, and I think-- it's important for-- 583 00:26:10,380 --> 00:26:13,396 I think Denver was starting from a much lower level 584 00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:14,460 of unsheltered homelessness. 585 00:26:14,460 --> 00:26:15,939 So we have a higher hill to climb, 586 00:26:15,940 --> 00:26:18,057 and I just want to acknowledge that. 587 00:26:18,057 --> 00:26:19,557 Yeah, I think there are different ways 588 00:26:19,557 --> 00:26:20,440 to measure success. 589 00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:22,391 You know, we have our point in time count that 590 00:26:22,391 --> 00:26:23,337 we do every two years. 591 00:26:23,337 --> 00:26:26,680 And so the next one of those will be in early 2028. 592 00:26:26,680 --> 00:26:28,576 Obviously, I'm hoping to see a significant 593 00:26:28,576 --> 00:26:31,000 reduction in unsheltered homelessness in that count. 594 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:33,006 But I think in some ways, a more meaningful measure 595 00:26:33,006 --> 00:26:35,057 is just what does it feel like in your neighborhood? 596 00:26:35,057 --> 00:26:36,876 What does it feel like walking down the street? 597 00:26:36,880 --> 00:26:39,803 And as we develop these by name lists, we will have a very 598 00:26:39,803 --> 00:26:43,045 tangible measure of our progress because we will know, like, 599 00:26:43,045 --> 00:26:46,159 here are these individuals who are sleeping on the street. 600 00:26:46,159 --> 00:26:49,115 And now here's how many of them we have navigated into 601 00:26:49,115 --> 00:26:51,432 shelter and housing how many have been able to 602 00:26:51,432 --> 00:26:53,759 retain that shelter and housing so we will have some 603 00:26:53,759 --> 00:26:58,952 really concrete data about the success of this 604 00:26:58,952 --> 00:27:03,259 initiative as we go along in Denver citations went up 605 00:27:03,259 --> 00:27:05,980 a lot when they announced there's a 50% increase are you 606 00:27:05,980 --> 00:27:09,834 gonna increase enforcement citations 607 00:27:09,834 --> 00:27:13,660 for camping outside or just enforcement in general? 608 00:27:13,660 --> 00:27:15,199 Is that going to be part of this? 609 00:27:15,200 --> 00:27:17,019 - So we are going to be continuing, 610 00:27:17,019 --> 00:27:18,680 as I said to the previous question, 611 00:27:18,680 --> 00:27:21,038 the unified care teams encampment removals 612 00:27:21,038 --> 00:27:23,538 and as we do this initiative, yeah. 613 00:27:24,999 --> 00:27:28,419 - Mayor, so Denver did spend about $180 million 614 00:27:28,419 --> 00:27:30,700 over two years to get to this. 615 00:27:30,700 --> 00:27:33,519 What are you willing to give up here in the city of Seattle 616 00:27:33,519 --> 00:27:36,499 to ensure that this strategy does succeed? 617 00:27:37,778 --> 00:27:40,828 So right now, this plan will be conducted using 618 00:27:40,828 --> 00:27:42,240 existing resources. 619 00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:44,519 So the $37 million in my proposed budget, 620 00:27:44,519 --> 00:27:46,999 which is funding that shelter acceleration 621 00:27:46,999 --> 00:27:50,221 initiative, right, we will be using some of those units, some 622 00:27:50,221 --> 00:27:52,922 existing units as basically where we are navigating 623 00:27:52,922 --> 00:27:54,396 people into for this program. 624 00:27:54,396 --> 00:27:56,555 So we believe that we can make some really significant 625 00:27:56,555 --> 00:27:58,837 progress within the resources that we have. 626 00:27:58,837 --> 00:28:00,538 And if we have to have a conversation about 627 00:28:00,538 --> 00:28:02,479 additional resources to scale up even further, 628 00:28:02,480 --> 00:28:03,892 then that can happen at a later date. 629 00:28:03,892 --> 00:28:05,115 But I believe we can make a lot of 630 00:28:05,115 --> 00:28:06,199 progress with what we have. 631 00:28:08,136 --> 00:28:11,088 People in Little Saigon say that your initial plan to do 632 00:28:11,088 --> 00:28:14,423 with public safety in there was too slow and not enough 633 00:28:14,423 --> 00:28:15,123 was done. 634 00:28:15,123 --> 00:28:18,097 Is this plan that you're proposing here, 635 00:28:18,097 --> 00:28:20,882 is that going to be the next step in addressing public 636 00:28:20,882 --> 00:28:23,159 safety and homelessness in Little Saigon? 637 00:28:23,159 --> 00:28:26,200 I think that this can be a complementary effort. 638 00:28:26,200 --> 00:28:29,771 Right now we are working with SPD and our other departments 639 00:28:29,771 --> 00:28:32,747 to get to the next phase of that effort in Little Saigon 640 00:28:32,747 --> 00:28:35,739 and there are some operational things that we're figuring 641 00:28:35,739 --> 00:28:38,914 But it is definitely true that one of the obstacles to 642 00:28:38,914 --> 00:28:42,865 making really sustained success is actually having the services 643 00:28:42,865 --> 00:28:46,076 and the shelter that we are able to navigate people to. 644 00:28:46,077 --> 00:28:48,865 So I think as we do this initiative, again, I don't want 645 00:28:48,865 --> 00:28:51,336 to make any specific commitment to where we're going 646 00:28:51,336 --> 00:28:51,896 to be doing it. 647 00:28:51,896 --> 00:28:54,317 But because this is really focused on individuals 648 00:28:54,317 --> 00:28:55,380 who are having a high impact, you 649 00:28:55,380 --> 00:28:58,159 might imagine that Little Saigon could be a focus. 650 00:29:02,038 --> 00:29:06,159 Can you just talk about how much more permanent housing 651 00:29:06,159 --> 00:29:08,576 and shelter capacity will our city 652 00:29:08,577 --> 00:29:10,179 need to support this strategy? 653 00:29:10,180 --> 00:29:11,759 Have you looked at that? 654 00:29:11,759 --> 00:29:14,180 Yeah, so again, the shelter expansion 655 00:29:14,180 --> 00:29:16,460 that is planned through my shelter acceleration initiative 656 00:29:16,460 --> 00:29:19,078 will be supporting this project along with some of 657 00:29:19,078 --> 00:29:20,577 our existing shelter units. 658 00:29:20,577 --> 00:29:22,711 So we believe that we can make really significant 659 00:29:22,711 --> 00:29:25,078 progress with what we have and we are going to be 660 00:29:25,078 --> 00:29:28,597 focusing on that movement into housing, right, because we 661 00:29:28,597 --> 00:29:31,876 also don't want people to be hanging out in shelter 662 00:29:31,876 --> 00:29:33,207 for years and years. 663 00:29:33,207 --> 00:29:34,851 And I believe that again we can 664 00:29:34,851 --> 00:29:37,636 make a lot of progress by really intelligently using 665 00:29:37,636 --> 00:29:40,451 the housing that we have and also creative 666 00:29:40,451 --> 00:29:43,941 partnerships with, you know, folks in our affordable housing 667 00:29:43,941 --> 00:29:46,740 sector. At the same time, I do think it's important for people 668 00:29:46,740 --> 00:29:48,304 to know that we do face headwinds, right? 669 00:29:48,304 --> 00:29:49,500 When we're seeing threats from 670 00:29:49,500 --> 00:29:51,519 the federal government to defund permanent 671 00:29:51,519 --> 00:29:54,365 supportive housing, you know, we are making, trying 672 00:29:54,365 --> 00:29:56,557 to make sure that we have the local resources to 673 00:29:56,557 --> 00:29:58,500 backfill if necessary so that more people aren't 674 00:29:58,500 --> 00:30:00,837 slipping into homelessness from permanent supportive 675 00:30:00,837 --> 00:30:02,823 housing. We have a big challenge ahead of us to 676 00:30:02,823 --> 00:30:05,403 restart that pipeline of building permanent supportive 677 00:30:05,403 --> 00:30:07,940 housing, not knowing what federal support looks like. 678 00:30:07,940 --> 00:30:09,967 So that's just to say, like, there are challenges 679 00:30:09,967 --> 00:30:11,597 in that area, but I really believe we can 680 00:30:11,597 --> 00:30:13,739 make a lot of progress with what we've got. 681 00:30:13,739 --> 00:30:15,680 Just a few more, Luke. 682 00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:18,463 So in other cities, some of the challenges we've seen in Denver 683 00:30:18,463 --> 00:30:21,645 and other cities, operational costs keep rising and rising 684 00:30:21,645 --> 00:30:23,659 as the programs keep expanding. 685 00:30:23,659 --> 00:30:25,500 John used the word expensive. 686 00:30:25,500 --> 00:30:28,759 How expensive could this be, potentially, as it goes? 687 00:30:28,759 --> 00:30:31,885 And what do you say to residents who were really kind 688 00:30:31,885 --> 00:30:35,380 of frustrated and tired of throwing money at the problem? 689 00:30:35,380 --> 00:30:37,996 Yeah, I mean, I'll just reiterate that this program 690 00:30:37,996 --> 00:30:41,097 is being funded within our existing and proposed resources. 691 00:30:41,097 --> 00:30:43,180 And I believe that we can make a lot of progress there. 692 00:30:43,180 --> 00:30:45,884 I think I would go back to the point that John Scholes 693 00:30:45,884 --> 00:30:48,778 made, which is that the status quo is expensive, right? 694 00:30:48,778 --> 00:30:50,836 If you look at what it costs for people to 695 00:30:50,836 --> 00:30:53,459 cycle through Harborview, to cycle through jail, 696 00:30:53,460 --> 00:30:56,277 that is a lot of money that is going into those cycles 697 00:30:56,277 --> 00:30:59,616 that is not being efficiently spent to actually help people. 698 00:30:59,616 --> 00:31:03,530 So having someone enter a shelter unit with really 699 00:31:03,530 --> 00:31:07,538 enhanced services around them, that is expensive. 700 00:31:07,538 --> 00:31:10,471 But ultimately, it is going to be a lot less expensive 701 00:31:10,471 --> 00:31:11,939 than what we are doing now. 702 00:31:13,876 --> 00:31:17,453 Mayor Wilson, you missed your 500-bed goal by the World 703 00:31:17,453 --> 00:31:21,636 Cup, and the 1,000-bed goal is now being pushed to next year. 704 00:31:21,636 --> 00:31:24,289 What did your administration get wrong there, and why should 705 00:31:24,289 --> 00:31:27,557 taxpayers trust that you'll deliver on this new plan? 706 00:31:27,557 --> 00:31:30,712 Yeah, so I mean, we are opening new shelter at a rate much, 707 00:31:30,712 --> 00:31:34,180 much faster than it has been done in a long time in Seattle. 708 00:31:34,180 --> 00:31:36,920 So I am proud of the progress that we are making. 709 00:31:36,920 --> 00:31:40,527 We have accelerated the process of standing up a new shelter 710 00:31:40,527 --> 00:31:43,500 site and it still takes time, And you have to identify a 711 00:31:43,500 --> 00:31:46,278 site, you have to do the permitting and the partnerships 712 00:31:46,278 --> 00:31:47,837 and the site development. 713 00:31:47,837 --> 00:31:50,005 So there's just a lot of work that goes into standing up 714 00:31:50,005 --> 00:31:52,143 new shelter and we are moving as fast as possible and I'm 715 00:31:52,143 --> 00:31:54,380 excited that we're going to be opening almost a thousand new 716 00:31:54,380 --> 00:31:55,420 units by the end of next year. 717 00:31:57,519 --> 00:31:58,817 I have a question about, a two-part question about 718 00:31:58,852 --> 00:32:02,278 the legislation that passed yesterday on RVs. 719 00:32:03,636 --> 00:32:06,939 First of all, could you comment on this RV legislation, which 720 00:32:06,940 --> 00:32:09,557 bans RVs over a period of time? 721 00:32:09,557 --> 00:32:11,577 And the sponsor, Dan Strauss, said 722 00:32:11,577 --> 00:32:14,519 that we found money to pay for our second RV lot. 723 00:32:14,519 --> 00:32:16,278 I'm wondering if that is coming out 724 00:32:16,278 --> 00:32:18,220 of your shelter legislation. 725 00:32:18,220 --> 00:32:19,700 Answer to the second question, 726 00:32:19,700 --> 00:32:21,357 I really hope not. 727 00:32:21,357 --> 00:32:25,439 So the RV legislation that Council Member Strauss sponsored 728 00:32:25,440 --> 00:32:28,499 and that passed yesterday, I think is a reaction to 729 00:32:28,499 --> 00:32:29,759 a real problem, right? 730 00:32:29,759 --> 00:32:31,719 We do have a lot of RVs around our city 731 00:32:31,720 --> 00:32:33,460 and there are some real challenges 732 00:32:33,460 --> 00:32:36,019 associated with noise, with garbage, with in some 733 00:32:36,019 --> 00:32:38,461 cases criminal activity happening in and 734 00:32:38,461 --> 00:32:40,096 around those vehicles. 735 00:32:40,097 --> 00:32:43,458 And so this is a real problem and I understand the motivation 736 00:32:43,458 --> 00:32:45,200 behind this legislation. 737 00:32:45,200 --> 00:32:47,116 I do have some very serious concerns 738 00:32:47,116 --> 00:32:49,500 about a number of aspects of the legislation, 739 00:32:49,500 --> 00:32:54,038 from legal risk to just the challenges of implementing 740 00:32:54,038 --> 00:32:55,778 this very complicated permit program, 741 00:32:55,778 --> 00:32:56,876 the cost of implementing it. 742 00:32:56,876 --> 00:32:58,440 And this is based on things that I'm hearing 743 00:32:58,440 --> 00:33:01,538 from my departments, right, from HSD to SPD, 744 00:33:01,538 --> 00:33:04,659 about the challenges of actually doing this in practice. 745 00:33:04,659 --> 00:33:07,519 And I also have concerns about the human impacts, right? 746 00:33:07,519 --> 00:33:12,200 If we are, if this solution is something that basically 747 00:33:12,200 --> 00:33:14,709 is going to result in more people getting into 748 00:33:14,709 --> 00:33:17,673 unsheltered homelessness or simply being pushed out of 749 00:33:17,673 --> 00:33:20,180 the city then that is not a success so I'm committed 750 00:33:20,180 --> 00:33:22,134 to working with councilmember Strauss and my other 751 00:33:22,134 --> 00:33:24,694 colleagues on the City Council to get to a workable 752 00:33:24,694 --> 00:33:27,278 solution and you know I know that there is a 753 00:33:27,278 --> 00:33:29,929 period built into this legislation next year where 754 00:33:29,929 --> 00:33:32,256 we will be able to bring together a workgroup to 755 00:33:32,256 --> 00:33:34,798 really look at what does it look to implement this and 756 00:33:34,798 --> 00:33:36,615 I'm hoping that out of that process we can make 757 00:33:36,615 --> 00:33:39,217 some changes that will make this into something 758 00:33:39,217 --> 00:33:40,980 that can actually help. 759 00:33:40,980 --> 00:33:43,374 Mayor, you're holding this press conference to admit that the 760 00:33:43,374 --> 00:33:46,000 current plan is not working, yet for more than a decade 761 00:33:46,000 --> 00:33:49,188 some of these providers behind you, DESC, Plymouth, 762 00:33:49,188 --> 00:33:52,105 LIHI, PDA, REACH, have presided over this 763 00:33:52,105 --> 00:33:55,400 very homeless crisis the city is dealing with. 764 00:33:55,400 --> 00:33:57,489 Why do you still have faith in them and why 765 00:33:57,489 --> 00:33:58,778 are you sticking by them? 766 00:33:58,778 --> 00:34:01,365 So I think a lot of the challenge with the way that 767 00:34:01,365 --> 00:34:04,144 our city and county and region have tried to address 768 00:34:04,144 --> 00:34:07,054 homelessness over the past decade or more is a problem 769 00:34:07,054 --> 00:34:08,797 really of coordination, right? 770 00:34:08,797 --> 00:34:10,440 So we have a lot of pieces of the puzzle. 771 00:34:10,440 --> 00:34:11,398 We have shelter providers. 772 00:34:11,398 --> 00:34:13,378 We have service providers. 773 00:34:13,378 --> 00:34:14,539 We have housing providers. 774 00:34:14,539 --> 00:34:17,277 But it's really how we're putting those pieces together. 775 00:34:17,277 --> 00:34:19,847 And I think what is really new about this partnership 776 00:34:19,847 --> 00:34:22,594 and this initiative is the way that it focuses in 777 00:34:22,594 --> 00:34:26,179 on those individuals who are having these high impacts, 778 00:34:26,179 --> 00:34:29,125 and it brings together the work of all of these service and 779 00:34:29,125 --> 00:34:31,838 shelter and housing providers in a way that can achieve 780 00:34:31,838 --> 00:34:34,358 that maximum impact because we are working together. 781 00:34:34,358 --> 00:34:36,619 We're not disorganized and working at cross purposes. 782 00:34:36,619 --> 00:34:38,400 So I'm really excited about this partnership. 783 00:34:38,400 --> 00:34:39,320 Thank you so much, everyone.