Showing posts with label homeless. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homeless. Show all posts

Meeting our Neighbors at St. Margaret’s Place

Sunday, September 22, 2024

St. Margaret's on Aurora

Story and photos by Tamara Burdic

Frying an egg for breakfast brought Suzi Strain to tears – tears of gratitude. 

It was her first morning to wake up in her new apartment at St. Margaret’s Place

Residents Suzi Strain and Malcom Welch
 “For me it’s been survival for my whole life, since I was a little street kid in pigtails. This is the happiest I’ve ever been – I get to live. I don’t have to worry where I’m going to lay my head at night,” she says. 

Ms. Strain moved into her apartment last December. 

St. Margaret’s, at 198th and Aurora, is a designated permanent housing facility with 100 units, and serves tenants who are exiting homelessness, or are in danger of becoming unhoused.

The lobby is light and airy with a community gathering space featuring game tables.

Today, Suzi Strain relishes her newfound stability and community. At age 57 she aspires to write a book to help people by sharing her experiences. 

“Nobody knows the story– what it’s like to be us, until they become us. We are not ‘lesser than.’ Everyone is one step away from homelessness. I want Shoreline residents to know that St. Margaret’s is a great addition to the community – because it makes a lot of people stable, who might not have been stable before.”

Malcom Welch is a veteran who organized a support group for the other veterans at St. Margaret's

Malcolm Welch, one of the founding residents, agrees. “This place feels like home,” he says. “It’s like a beacon of hope for other people who want to change their lives.” 

Mr. Welch is a 67 year-old veteran who lives on the 5th floor, where all of the units are occupied by veterans. 

There is a community garden and a covered back patio for residents

He is the leader of an informal support group that he organized for fellow vets on-site. 

“We are a unique portion of society who understand each other and what we are going through.” 

Having stable housing gives Mr. Welch time to pursue his dream of becoming a counselor. He is working on his credentials through a workforce development program –  Aspiring Social Service Employee Training Program. (ASSET).

St. Margaret's has 100 units and sits on land donated by the City of Shoreline

In his downtime, Mr. Welch likes to relax in front of the apartment building, (which faces Aurora Avenue and 198th) and talk with people who walk by. He takes great pride in his building –”You have to take care of your place and it’s up to us residents.” 

He has no patience for those disrespecting his home. “It’s okay to dig through the garbage, but don’t dump your trash. I’ll tell them!” Around the back of the building there is a covered patio, a dog run, and a small community vegetable garden.

The building has a commercial kitchen

The lobby is light, airy and welcoming. There is a community kitchen and comfortable gathering areas to socialize and hang out. The front desk and office areas are staffed with four to five case managers at all times. 

“They have our backs here, 24/7. They go out of their way to support us and help us accomplish what we need done,” says Ms. Strain.

One of the Resident Staff Support workers, Justine, adds, “I’ve also been homeless and was in addiction recovery. I love coming to work every day and supporting the residents – letting them know that they are seen.”
Suzi Strain and volunteer Steve Polich

There are many ways for Shoreline residents to connect with members of the community living at St. Margaret’s, especially with the fall and winter holidays coming up quickly:

Volunteer:
  • Cook a meal in the on-site kitchen
  • Help with holiday parties, game nights and movie nights–a great way to mingle with the residents!
Donate:
  • Clothing
  • Food
  • Money
  • Hygiene products
  • Holiday gifts
Volunteer Pat Deagen talks with Suzi and Malcomb

If you would like to be involved, please contact Gina Fudacz, Program Manager at GinaFu@ccsw.org or 206-677-1359

St. Margaret’s Place was created through a collaboration with Catholic Housing Services and King County, with land provided by the City of Shoreline.


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Shoreline draft budget would increase funding for a pool and homelessness while avoiding recession risk

The City purchased the storage court on Midvale as a site for an aquatics center.
Photo from Google

By Oliver Moffat

The Shoreline city council reviewed the city’s financial report and draft budget and capital improvement plan at the September 16 city council meeting.

City staff told the council  “the City continues to maintain a healthy financial position, including maintenance of its AA+ bond rating and a Standard & Poor’s (S&P) ratings outlook of “stable.” The proposed 2025-2026 Biennial Budget will continue to be balanced and in compliance with the City’s financial and reserve policies.”

The proposed budget includes more funding for human services and homelessness and money for another aquatics center ballot measure.

The city also wants $720.9k to ask voters (again) to approve an aquatics center on the November 2026 general election ballot. A bond measure in 2019 to pay for the pool failed to pass because it required 60% approval and only received 54% of the votes. 

In 2020, the city bought the storage court north of city hall as the future site of the aquatics center and (according to the city’s 2024 financial report) earned $662,518 on the property. 

Now the city wants to spend $720.9k on “public engagement, planning, conceptual design, cost estimating, ballot measure development, and preparation for design development and permitting” for the pool.

Currently the city plans to spend $624,112 next year on human services and homelessness - 1.0% of its general fund revenues. The city wants to increase that funding by $323.4k to dedicate a full-time employee to focus on managing the city’s human services programs and data collection. 

And the city would increase support for the Shoreline Lake Forest Park Senior Center, homelessness outreach, severe weather sheltering, utility assistance, and holiday baskets.

The city also requested $100k to commission an Affordable Housing Feasibility Study. Despite repeated resident requests for the city to take action on homelessness, in April, the Shoreline council approved a housing and human services plan that recommended the city instead “Maintain Current Level of Service” while city staff continue to study the problem.

Last week, the council reviewed the biennial resident satisfaction survey in which residents said, of all city services, they were most dissatisfied with Shoreline’s “overall response to homelessness” and residents said the city should do more to address homelessness - more than any other city service. In 2020 and again in 2022, residents told the city the same.

The city council will review a report from the King County Regional Homelessness Authority at the September 23 meeting and city staff said they will present the council with specifics on the human services and homelessness plan at the October 21 meeting.

A graph from the city shows Shoreline operating budget forecast

The city is forecasting the probability of a recession in 2025 or 2026 at about 30-45% - which would not only exacerbate homelessness but could also lower revenue from sales tax and property taxes.

Because of high Interest rates and construction costs revenue from real estate fees and taxes have decreased. Compared to last year, Real Estate Excise Tax revenue for streets and sidewalks are down nearly 25% and Park Impact Fee revenue for park improvements are down more than 50%.

Sales tax revenue was up nearly 25% compared to last year but the city is forecasting revenue to remain flat as construction cools in the city.

The city’s largest revenue source is property tax. When shoreline voters last approved a levy lid lift in 2022, the city said the property tax rate would be $1.39 per $1000 of assessed value. With cooling real estate sales, the King County Assessor decreased Shoreline’s assessed value in 2024, resulting in a higher tax rate of $1.62 per $1000.

Under state law, the combined property tax rate for the city, fire department and library may not exceed $3.60 per $1000. Libraries are allowed to charge up to $0.50 and fire departments can charge as much as $1.50 of that $3.60 per $1000.

Which means that if Shoreline’s assessed value continues to decline and the fire department and library also increase their rates, the city could reach the maximum property tax limit leading to a budget shortfall.

The city council will hold public hearings on the proposed budget, property taxes, fees, and Capital Improvement Plan on November 4 and November 18.


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Shoreline satisfaction survey: residents want city to address homelessness and build sidewalks

Thursday, September 12, 2024

By Oliver Moffat

At the Monday, September 9 meeting, the Shoreline city council reviewed results of the 2024 resident satisfaction survey - which the city conducts every two years.

Residents expressed high satisfaction with the city and its parks but gave the city low marks for dining, entertainment, sidewalks and its response to homelessness.


A chart from the resident satisfaction survey compares Shoreline with other cities in the US and Northwest

Most residents (89%) said Shoreline was an “excellent” or “good” place to live - far higher than the US and Northwest average of 49%. Survey respondents have for decades rated Shoreline favorably on this question with 91% in 2014 and 87% in 2004.

Of all city services, residents (again) rated the overall quality of parks and recreation most favorably with 81% saying they were satisfied. Shoreline residents rate our parks much higher compared to other cities in the US (48%) and Northwest (49%). Resident satisfaction with parks hasn’t changed much over the years with 82% satisfied in 2014 and 79% in 2004.

Satisfaction rating rebounded significantly since the 2022 survey conducted during the COVID era - with 56 of 71 questions showing improvements.

But with only 23% saying they were satisfied, residents were most dissatisfied with Shoreline as a place for dining and entertainment. 

And residents say dining and entertainment options are getting worse in Shoreline. Ten years ago, in 2014, 29% of residents were satisfied with dining and entertainment and when the city first asked the question in 2012, 30% were satisfied. Even during COVID lockdowns residents rated the city higher with 27% satisfied in 2022.

When asked about transportation and land use, 53% of residents said they were dissatisfied with the availability of sidewalks in their neighborhood. Notably, residents are less satisfied with sidewalk availability now than they were in 2014 when 47% were dissatisfied and in 2004 when only 41% were dissatisfied.

A map from the resident satisfaction survey shows opinions about sidewalks in Shoreline neighborhoods

In 2018, voters approved a sales tax increase to pay for new sidewalks. As part of the ballot measure, twelve locations were identified for new sidewalks across the city but the city estimates those projects won’t be completed until 2029.

Of all city services, residents were (again) most dissatisfied with Shoreline’s “overall response to homelessness” with only 30% saying they were satisfied. And 50% of residents said the city should do more to address homelessness - more than any other city service.

A chart from the satisfaction survey shows residents want the city to address homelessness

In 2020 and again in 2022, residents also told the city that addressing homelessness should be its top priority and residents rated the city’s response to homelessness as the service they were most dissatisfied with.

Despite repeated resident requests for the city to take action on homelessness, in April, the Shoreline council approved a housing and human services plan that recommended the city instead “Maintain Current Level of Service” while city staff continue to study the problem.


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Dembowski thanks Mary’s Place, welcomes Lake City Partners to reopen Northshore shelter with $675k in funding from King County budget

Friday, August 23, 2024

County Councilmember Rod Dembowski
Photo by Claudia Meadows

On Wednesday, August 21, 2024, King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski hosted representatives from the City of Kenmore and other partners to announce and welcome a new senior women’s shelter in what was formerly the Mary’s Place Northshore shelter in Kenmore.

Tom French mayor of Lake Forest Park with Rod Dembowski with gift from St. Mary’s Place recognizing his support over the years. Many attended from neighboring cities and North Shore Senior Center. Photo by Pat Deagen

The new senior women’s shelter, which will be operated by Lake City Partners Ending Homelessness, is possible thanks to $675,000 in funding secured by Dembowski in King County’s spring supplemental budget.

Mary’s Place CEO Dominique Alex
Photo by Claudia Meadows

Mary’s Place, which serves families experiencing homelessness, previously operated its Northshore shelter in the same location, a former King County Sheriff’s Office precinct building, but recently changed its model away from congregate shelter and decided to close their Kenmore location.

“Operating out of the county’s mothballed Kenmore precinct office, Mary’s Place has been a tremendous partner over the last seven years, welcoming over 500 families and nearly 1,000 children in our Northshore community and helping 191 families secure stable housing,” said Councilmember Rod Dembowski. 
“Unfortunately their move left virtually no emergency shelter space in North King County, so I went to work with City of Kenmore officials and Lake City Partners – which already successfully runs the Oaks shelter in Shoreline – to see if a new shelter could be opened in the Kenmore location. 
"We then worked to identify $675,000 in the county’s budget to fund this project and I was thrilled to host today’s announcement event.”

Lake City Partners immediately responded to the inquiry with a plan to re-open the facility as a senior women’s shelter to provide a safe place for women over the age of 60 currently experiencing homelessness. 

The goal is to provide the seniors services to facilitate their transition into permanent, shared housing in a period of under a year. To do so, the shelter will leverage Lake City Partner’s existing programs and relationships with local service providers to connect senior women with needed services, promote co-habitation skills, and help them transition into permanent housing.

William Towey, Executive Director of Lake City Partners Ending Homelessness
Photo by Claudia Meadows

“Lake City Partners are thrilled to be opening a Senior Women's Shelter program in Kenmore,” said William Towey, Executive Director of Lake City Partners Ending Homelessness. 
“One of our fastest growing subgroups of unsheltered clients are very low-income seniors. This new shelter program will provide a much-needed increase in capacity to our North King County homelessness response -- one that serves senior women, a particularly vulnerable subset of our unsheltered clients.”

The new shelter is anticipated to open by the end of 2024 and will have space for up to 35 senior women at a time.

Kenmore Mayor Nigel Herbig
Photo by Claudia Meadows

"After seven years of partnership with Mary's Place, we are excited to welcome Lake City Partners to the old police precinct,” said Kenmore Mayor Nigel Herbig. “They have worked in Kenmore before, and will ensure that the building continues to be used to help our neighbors experiencing homelessness."

At Wednesday’s announcement, Councilmember Dembowski hosted City of Kenmore officials, Mary’s Place CEO Dominique Alex, King County Council Budget Chair Girmay Zahilay, elected officials from throughout North King County, representatives from Lake City Partners and the North Urban Human Services Alliance, and King County’s Department of Community and Human Services Director Kelly Rider to thank Mary’s Place for its years of operating the shelter and to welcome Lake City Partners. Photo by Claudia Meadows


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King County Regional Homelessness Authority hires Irene Agustin as Chief Program Officer

Friday, August 2, 2024


KCRHA Chief Program Officer Irene Agustin
The King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) is excited to announce that Irene Agustin is our new Chief Program Officer (CPO). 

In this role, she’ll lead the organization’s work on overseeing more than 200 service provider contracts, equity-based procurement of homelessness program services, homeless crisis response system development and alignment, and applications for new funding.

Ms. Agustin has dedicated more than 20 years to working in human services and people experiencing homelessness. 

She has successfully led interdisciplinary teams in San Francisco, St. Louis, and Baltimore, designing and implementing initiatives that have improved shelter, access to affordable housing, and support services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. 

One of Ms. Agustin’s key strengths is her capacity to analyze data and assess program effectiveness to drive continuous improvement and strategic decision-making.
 
“I think what I’m mostly looking forward to is the hands-on implementation and execution of improvements to the homelessness response system,” Ms. Agustin said. “And working with the team and community on getting people housed and connected to services and resources to help rebuild their lives.”    

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Op-Ed: United Way of King County response to U.S. Supreme Court ruling regarding people experiencing homelessness

Sunday, June 30, 2024

The United States Supreme Court ruling that people experiencing homelessness can be arrested and fined for sleeping in public places moves our nation backward in being able to resolve the homelessness crisis and places even more burdens and debts on the most vulnerable individuals in our communities.

Punishing people for being unhoused is not a solution to end homelessness and does not address the underlying issues of the crisis. People experiencing homelessness already have nowhere to go – through no fault of their own – and this ruling will exacerbate the problem.

At United Way of King County, we believe in investing in and implementing prevention strategies—currently few and far between—to ensure people don’t fall into homelessness in the first place. We need our national and local governments to invest more to ensure affordable housing is readily available for renters with the lowest income. Our community deserves stronger renter protections and eviction prevention resources to stabilize households during a crisis so they don’t fall into homelessness.

We believe that this ruling will fail to reduce homelessness, requiring an extreme need for resources and funding to make sure further harm is not placed on the unhoused. This ruling does not lead with real solutions or facts.

Data shows that meeting people with individualized immediate access to stable housing and other wrap-around services and case management will lead to housing stability. Rather than leading with an approach to invest in adequate housing, shelter, and financial resources, this ruling punishes unhoused people for being in a vulnerable situation and not having a home.

Further, Black, Indigenous, and people of color experience homelessness at higher rates due to longstanding historical and structural racism, as well as single mothers with children under 18. This ruling, along with raising housing costs and gaps in income levels, will not solve any issues for these populations, which should be prioritized.

Prevention efforts are more important than ever. Our community deserves to ensure that no one is punished or criminalized for being unhoused.

United Way of King County


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Kelly Kinnison, Ph.D. named new permanent CEO of KCRHA

Friday, June 28, 2024

Kelly Kinnisn, Ph.D.
CEO King County Regional Homeless Authority
Kelly Kinnison, Ph.D., has been selected to lead the King County Regional Homelessness Authority. 

Dr. Kinnison’s appointment as Chief Executive Officer by the Governing Committee and Implementation Board comes after a thorough and thoughtful search process conducted by the firm Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group (NPAG). 

They collaborated closely with the CEO Search Committee, which included members from our Boards, community, and KCRHA staff.

Dr. Kinnison, expressing her deep commitment to the cause, shared she’s honored to receive the confirmation and added, 
“There are challenges ahead, but I am confident that given the resources and goodwill in the King County region we can make significant progress together.” 

She begins August 1.

Dr. Kinnison is a senior leader with 15 years of federal social services policy experience. She’s wrapping up her position as the Director of Family and Community Policy at the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). 

She’s successfully led and coordinated major projects on lived experience and HHS’ Equity Technical Assistance Center, which aims to improve the coordination and integration of social services. Partnership, collaboration, and consultation is standard practice in her work.

Dr. Kinnison joined HHS from the Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, where she served as a Branch Chief of a team conducting research and analysis on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Before working for the federal government, she was an evaluation consultant for community organizations working on violence prevention and mentoring. 

Dr. Kinnison holds a Ph.D. in community psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago.


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Point-in-Time homeless count results from King County

Wednesday, June 26, 2024

The 2024 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count found that on any given night in King County, there are an estimated 16,385 individuals experiencing homelessness. 

This is 23% higher than the 2022 PIT estimate. 

There are several contributing factors to the latest PIT figures. KCRHA partnered with University of Washington researchers in 2022 to improve the accuracy of counting our unhoused neighbors. 

Additionally, homelessness has been growing across the country since 2017, particularly unsheltered homelessness, especially in cities where housing prices have been substantially increasing. 

In the past five years, more than 1,000 shelter beds have been added to the system. Since 2019, an estimated 5,000 permanent housing units are now available. Despite an increase in the number of places for people to go, it's still not enough.

The Community Impact team is working on a full report that will be released this year with more details and analysis.

PIT Count Overview


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Camp United We Stand is relocating June 27 - 30, 2024 from Kenmore to north Seattle

Tuesday, June 25, 2024

Entrance to Camp United We Stand

Camp United We Stand is relocating June 27 - 30, 2024

They will begin to move out of their current location in Kenmore on Friday, June 28, 2024.
They expect to be set up at their new site at Haller Lake in north Seattle as of Sunday June 30, 2024.

Camp United We Stand (CUWS)Is a legally sanctioned homeless encampment that relies on local hosting sites to set up camp on their campus.

The homeless encampment houses up to 35 adults, some of whom work outside the camp.
  • They are assured of returning to the same place night after night to lay their heads.
  • To having food and drink.
  • To having their basic human needs met.
  • The camp has garbage and recycling service, porta-potties, water access (for dishwashing and showers), and weekly laundry service by a team of volunteers.
  • The residents are screened.
  • No sex offenders or people with outstanding warrants are permitted.
  • No weapons are permitted in the camp.
  • No street drugs or alcohol are permitted in the camp.
  • The rules for CUWS are strictly enforced.
CUWS has a volunteer Board of Directors.
If interested in more information about joining their efforts, visit their website

Due to city permitting regulations, the CUWS hosting site needs to relocate every 90-120 days. Their current hosting site is Northlake Lutheran Church

The Camp has a shower that can be transported on a flatbed truck

The City of Kenmore and private camp donors donated funds for the camp to build a residential shower for the tenants use! It is designed to be pulled/relocated on a flatbed to new locations, and includes hot water, changing area, and solar panels! "What an amazing gift for the residents to have access to hot showers!!"

A fully functioning kitchen can be transported on a flatbed truck

The camp also has a beautiful kitchen that is designed to be relocated as needed, thanks to the creative efforts of Sawhorse Revolution and a team of volunteers. This structure is well built, offers electrical outlets, has ample shelving, storage, food prep space and areas to plug in refrigerators.

We are in need of volunteers to help with the relocation efforts the weekend of June 27-30, 2024.. If you can help with the upcoming move from Kenmore to Haller Lake: please sign up here

We are also in need of volunteers to provide meals / food deliveries while the camp is without access to the kitchen during the move. There are also slots to sign up for ongoing meal deliveries – so check out all the meal needs listed here: sign up for meal delivery to the camp residents:

Thank you for your ongoing support for this organization. Having community support truly makes the campers lives much more enriched.

Contact Lisa McDonald for any further questions: lisa_mcd@comcast.net


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UW Medicine: Report outlines illicit drug-use patterns across Washington

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

A staffer, right, at a Seattle syringe services program site talks with a client about harm reduction.
Photo by Susan Kingston

Across Washington state, heroin use has dropped considerably, fentanyl use has climbed, and methamphetamine continues to be highly prevalent — all according to a new survey of syringe-services program participants.

These and other findings emerged from the Syringe Services Program Health Survey in a report published by researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine. The report’s collaborators included Public Health-Seattle & King County and the Washington State Department of Health.

Nearly 40 syringe services programs operate in 25 of Washington’s 39 counties. The last such survey occurred in late fall 2021 and involved 955 respondents. This time, 24 syringe-services programs took part, with staff and volunteers administering the in-person questionnaire to 1,667 voluntary participants between October 2023 and January 2024.

Other primary findings in the report: 
  • Most (89%) respondents said they had smoked a drug in the previous week, in contrast with other means of ingestion; 36% had both smoked and injected drugs, and only 10% had injected drugs exclusively. (In 2021, by contrast, 93%, of respondents reported injecting drugs.)
  • 55% of respondents were unhoused and an additional 25% had only temporary or unstable housing. Among these respondents, two-thirds said they would reduce or quit using their main drug if they had stable housing.
  • Participants said they would take advantage of additional services at their syringe-services program: 75% said they would see a healthcare provider and 68% would see a mental health counselor at the site where they took the survey.

“What struck me most about the survey results is the huge and continued need for the basics: housing, healthcare and support,” said Alison Newman, a report coauthor from the Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute. “We can learn so much from talking to people directly about their health and what services might help them.”

Among survey respondents this time, 80% had no housing or temporary housing. This percentage was substantially higher than the 66% of respondents who reported living in those conditions in 2021, said Caleb Banta-Green, a report coauthor and a regional expert on addiction.

“Some people are using opioids to numb the trauma of insecure housing, and some are using meth because they feel it helps them function. Being housed would give them a lot more stability in their lives and allow them to fully engage in treatment, whereas on the street they can’t really do that,” he said.

Among respondents, more had used methamphetamine (89%) in the preceding week than fentanyl (61%). Among users of either of those drugs, more than half reported ingesting them at least five days per week.

“There’s still a lot of meth out there,” Banta-Green said, adding that mortality data for the drugs suggests that “if fentanyl didn’t exist, we’d be ringing the alarm bells over methamphetamine.” 
Nevertheless, use of fentanyl has “completed dwarfed heroin,” he said, a change that has, in parallel, spurred a huge shift away from drug injection and toward drug smoking.

In response to that shift, several syringe services sites are providing or planning to offer smoking supplies in addition to sterile syringes “to reduce the spread of infectious disease and to provide an alternative to higher-risk drug injection,” the report stated. Washington’s State Legislature enacted a law in 2023 allowing these programs to legally provide smoking equipment.

While sharing a pipe is much less likely to transmit infectious disease than sharing a needle, many drug users carry the misperception that it’s harder to overdose when smoking a drug, Banta-Green said.

“Fentanyl and meth are both so powerful that smoking is not protective against overdose. We want to make sure folks understand that,” he said.

Given that survey respondents expressed a strong interest in receiving healthcare and mental care onsite, and considering Washington’s new health-engagement hub model, Banta-Green said he sees “great potential to create much more access to lifesaving care.”

The Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute is part of the UW School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences.

Related: Newman and Banta-Green will discuss the findings at a webinar at 1pm Thursday, May 2, 2024. The online event is open to the public. Register here.


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Shoreline’s homelessness plan: “Maintain Current Level of Service” while city comes up with a plan

Saturday, April 13, 2024

Back row from left: Councilmembers John Ramsdell, Betsy Robertson, Annette Ademasu, Eben Pobee, Keith Scully Front row from left: Mayor Chris Roberts, Deputy Mayor Laura Mork

At the Monday, April 8 meeting, the Shoreline city council approved a housing and human services plan that recommends continuing to “Maintain Current Level of Service”. 

City staff will study the problem, clarify metrics, and “explore or pilot innovative human service programs” potentially paid for with a property tax levy.

A chart from the 2022 Resident Satisfaction Survey shows that residents want the city to do more about homelessness
As previously reported, in survey results, Shoreline residents want the city to prioritize homelessness and earlier drafts of the plan faced criticism.

The final draft approved by the council on Monday still faced questions from Council members.

The fifty-four page study found that residents want the city to do something about homelessness and the housing affordability crisis.

The plan recommends the city “Maintain Current Level of Service” while continuing to study the problem and said “affordable housing and homelessness solutions require more resources”.

Mayor Chris Roberts questioned why the plan lacked details on specific housing types needed. “But what we don’t have right now… what I’m hearing… we don’t know how many three bedroom units… we don’t know how many ADA accessible units… the city needs,” he said.

A picture of “three circles and a triangle” approved by the city council will direct staff on housing and human services priorities
Deputy Mayor Laura Mork questioned what metrics the city would use to measure outcomes. In reference to a graphic showing three circles and a triangle, she asked, “would the funding on the next slide allow you to make that more concrete?”

City staff told the council they will identify target outcome metrics and continue to study what can be done.

Council member John Ramsdell questioned why the city hasn’t done more. “there are cities in Washington State that have less than a quarter of our population that have housing authorities,” he said.

One recommendation in the plan was for Shoreline to “explore or pilot innovative human service programs” potentially paid for with an affordable housing tax levy.

In the 2020 resident satisfaction survey and again in 2022, residents told the city that addressing homelessness should be its top priority. And residents rated the city’s response to homelessness as the service they were most dissatisfied with. In the 2022 survey, 55% of residents said homelessness should receive the most emphasis by the city while 50.3% of residents said they don’t want property taxes to increase.

Voters in some cities in Washington State have approved property tax levies to fund affordable housing. Since 1986, Seattle has had a housing levy and in 2023 the levy was renewed by voters. Vancouver voters approved an affordable housing property tax levy in 2016 and voters renewed the levy again in 2023. First approved by voters in 2012 and expanded in 2018, Bellingham has an affordable housing levy.

Some affordable housing levies have not been approved. A housing levy campaign in 2017 failed in Jefferson County. Tacoma has attempted to institute a property-tax levy for affordable housing in 2001 and 2005 but has failed in both cases.


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Office of Law Enforcement Oversight applauds King County Sheriff’s Office’s decision to refuse enforcement of Burien code criminalizing homelessness

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

King County’s Office of Law Enforcement Oversight (OLEO) on Tuesday applauded the decision by King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall to refuse enforcement of a Burien city code that criminalizes homelessness, and to seek relief in federal court declaring the code unconstitutional.

“Since his hiring in late 2022, the Burien city manager has seemingly been carrying out a vendetta against unsheltered persons in Burien,” said Tamer Abouzeid, OLEO Director. 
“The extremes to which the city has gone, and the city’s continued refusal to utilize support offered by King County to help with issues of homelessness, belie any pretense that these actions are taken to improve public safety in Burien.”

As it has done throughout the past year, OLEO will continue to monitor the situation in Burien and to discuss the issues with community stakeholders, the Sheriff’s Office, and King County’s Community Advisory Committee for Law Enforcement Oversight (KCSO).

“Research has shown that the criminalization of homelessness, especially in areas like Burien where there is insufficient housing and support, neither improves public safety nor ameliorates the factors leading to homelessness,” said OLEO Senior Policy Analyst Katy Kirschner. 


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Sen. Cantwell secures $6.5 million for housing for homeless children and veterans

Sunday, March 10, 2024

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), the Senate’s leading champion for affordable housing, announced that six housing projects she supported in the State of Washington will receive federal funding.

“These projects will create new housing for the people in the State of Washington who need it the most, including families with children, low-income veterans, and people experiencing homelessness. 

"Affordable housing projects boost our economy, revitalize communities, and drive down inflation -- I will continue to advocate for investments and legislation that help us build more,” Sen. Cantwell said.

A total of $6,566,279 is going toward the six projects:

Edmonds - Scriber Place Affordable Housing for Homeless Students: $1,500,000 to construct 52 units of permanently affordable housing for families with children in the Edmonds School District who are experiencing homelessness.

Kittitas County - HopeSource Veterans Housing: $1,616,279 to construct 12 units of affordable rental units dedicated to low-income senior veterans in Kittitas County.

Seattle - Mary’s Place Emergency Family Shelter: $1,000,000 to rebuild an aging emergency shelter to provide safe shelter and services for up to 70 families with children experiencing homelessness.

Tacoma - Micro-Shelter Expansion: $850,000 to purchase 75 micro-shelter units to support individuals transitioning to permanent supportive housing, as well as the demolition and preparation of a long-term location for the micro-shelters.

Makah Reservation Workforce Housing: $800,000 to construct six duplexes on the Makah Reservation for essential workers.

Sequim – Habitat for Humanity of Clallam County Workforce Housing: $800,000 to construct infrastructure for 42 affordable workforce homes in Sequim.


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Camp United We Stand is relocating March 8-10, 2024

Friday, March 8, 2024

Camp UWS at their St. Dunstan's location

Between Friday March 8 and Sunday March 10, 2024, Camp United We Stand will relocate from their current location at St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church, 722 N 145th St, Shoreline 98133 to their new site at Northlake Lutheran Church, 6620 NE 185th St, Kenmore 98028.

Camp United We Stand (CUWS) is a legally sanctioned homeless encampment that relies on local hosting sites to set up camp on their campus. The homeless encampment houses up to 35 adults, some of whom work outside the camp.

They are assured of returning to the same place night after night to lay their heads, to having food and drink, to having their basic human needs met.
 
The camp has garbage and recycling service, porta-potties, water access (for dishwashing and showers), and weekly laundry service by a team of volunteers.

  • Each resident is screened.
  • No sex offenders or people with outstanding warrants are permitted.
  • No weapons are permitted in the camp.
  • No street drugs or alcohol are permitted in the camp.
  • The rules for CUWS are strictly enforced.
  • CUWS has a volunteer Board of Directors.

If interested in more information in joining our efforts, visit our website

Due to city permitting regulations, the CUWS hosting site needs to relocate every 90-120 days. Their current hosting site is St Dunstan’s Episcopal Church, Shoreline.

The camp has a new, portable, residential shower

A big shout out to the City of Kenmore which donated funds for the camp to build a residential shower for the tenants use! It is designed to be pulled/relocated on a flatbed to new locations, and includes hot water, changing area, and solar panels!!!

The shower can be moved with the camp from site to site 

This new unit will be set up at their new Kenmore location in the coming weeks. What an amazing gift for the residents to have access to hot showers!!

The new kitchen can be moved on a flatbed truck as the camp moves to each hosting site

The camp also has a beautiful kitchen which is designed to be relocated as needed, thanks to the creative efforts of Sawhorse Revolution and a team of volunteers! 

The portable kitchen includes a pantry for food storage

This structure is well built, offers electrical outlets, has ample shelving, storage, food prep space and areas to plug in refrigerators! 

A huge thank you to both City of Kenmore and Sawhorse Revolution for their generous donation that will provide for the camp for years to come!

We are in need of VOLUNTEERS to help with the relocation efforts. If you can help with the upcoming move please sign up at this link:

We are also in need of volunteers to provide MEALS/FOOD DELIVERIES while the camp is without access to the kitchen during the move. There are also slots to sign up for ongoing meal deliveries – so check out all the meal needs listed on the below link

Thank you for your ongoing support for this organization. Having community support truly makes the campers lives much more enriched.

Contact Lisa McDonald for any further questions: lisa_mcd@comcast.net


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Weather shelter activation extended to Friday morning March 8, 2024

Tuesday, March 5, 2024


The King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) has extended their Tier 2 - Severe Weather Protocol Activation Window to the morning of Friday, March 8, 2024, with the potential for an extension.

Information on shelter openings throughout King county can be found on the KCRHA webpage.


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Residents want Shoreline to address homelessness but City has no plan

Thursday, February 29, 2024

A chart from the 2022 Resident Satisfaction Survey shows
residents want the city to do more about homelessness
By Oliver Moffat

Every two years Shoreline surveys residents to get feedback on its performance. 

In the 2020 survey and again in 2022, residents told the city that addressing homelessness should be its top priority. 

And residents rated the city’s response to homelessness as the service they were most dissatisfied with.

Nevertheless, the city’s budget for homelessness and human services has remained flat for over ten years. 

And the number of city staff Shoreline dedicates to homelessness and human services is below average compared to other cities in the region according to data from the city.

Last year the city hired a consultant to study the problem and write a comprehensive Human Service Strategic Plan which would, for the first time, provide a coordinated plan for addressing homelessness and behavior health services in Shoreline.

The city council read a second draft of that plan at the February 26 meeting but some members were not satisfied with the results.

Councilmember Keith Scully said
“this is not what I was hoping for”
about the plan
Councilmember Keith Scully did not mince words. “I'm not sure if there were communication issues or if I just set my expectations in the wrong place, but this is not what I was hoping for,” he said. 
Scully had expected the plan to include specific actions the city could take. But instead, the plan recommended continuing to study the problem. 
“I had thought we were past that,” he said.

Currently Shoreline allocates 1% ($759,357) from the general fund each year towards human services. Most of that money is given to local nonprofits who apply to fund services. One problem with this model, according to staff, is that the city isn’t able to direct the money to the highest priority projects.

The city allocated some American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds towards human services, but that money will be gone by the end of 2024, creating an urgent funding cliff the council will need to address this year.

Screenshot from staff presentation compares Shoreline's
human services staff against other cities in the region.

Shoreline already participates in the state’s Affordable Housing Sales Tax Credit program which provided the city with $118,516.24 in 2023; part of those funds were spent to provide rental assistance to 28 low income households, according to the state’s department of commerce.

According to data from the city, the city’s Multi-Family Tax Exemption (MFTE) program has so far enrolled 476 homes of affordable housing with 1,168 units planned to be built.
A graph from the King County Housing Needs
Dashboard shows Shoreline needs 9,542 new
affordable homes by 2044.

Yet the King County Housing Needs Dashboard says Shoreline needs to build 9,542 new affordable homes in the next twenty years.

According to the nonprofit Municipal Research and Services Center, cities in Washington have a number of other ways to fund affordable housing. 

Cities can also use some revenue from Real Estate Excise Taxes and they can apply for state and federal grants.

Shoreline could also ask voters to approve a property tax levy to fund affordable housing for very low-income households and affordable homeownership, owner-occupied home repair, and foreclosure prevention programs for low-income households. Seattle voters approved such a Housing Levy in 2023.

Asking the feds, state or voters for more money requires a specific plan. But right now, the city doesn’t have one.

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