Initiative seeks to force Seattle to fund homeless housing and then clear camps
April 1, 2021 at 11:13 am
Underwritten by
GeekWire’s civic coverage examines tech policy, urban development, transportation, housing, the environment, regulation, and other issues impacting the innovation economy.
Tents line a downtown Seattle street. (GeekWire Photo / John Cook)
In an effort to overhaul Seattle’s approach to its homeless crisis, a coalition of downtown business leaders and non-profit representatives on Thursday introduced a citywide ballot measure to force the city to fund a battery of services and shelters for thousands of the town’s unsheltered residents.
Called the “Compassion Seattle” charter amendment, the initiative also would require the city to keep “parks, playgrounds, sports fields, public spaces and sidewalks and streets clear of encampments” once the mandated housing, drug, and mental health services are in place.
Opinion | Mexican Women Are Fed Up and López Obrador Doesn't Get It nytimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nytimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Fitness Mill is ringing in the new year with the traditional membership deals as many turn to fitness as their New Years resolution. Erin Goodman, General Manager of the Fitness Mill, said she s glad 2020 is over and is now focused on 2021.
(KIRO 7)
Rising crime has been an issue in numerous Seattle neighborhoods during the pandemic, especially in SoDo, according to businesses owners. Erin Goodman runs the SoDo Business Improvement Area, Alex Cooley is the cofounder of marijuana grower Solstice, and they both joined Seattle’s Morning News to discuss how SoDo has been coping these past few months.
“SoDo businesses are struggling, there’s no question, but as a whole, SoDo as a neighborhood is coming through a lot better than some of our neighboring neighborhoods. And part of that is the essential nature of the work that goes on in SoDo,” Goodman said.