Seattle Mayor Announces Citywide Expansion of Homelessness Strategy: Pioneer Square Pilot Placed 70 of 80 People
SEATTLE, Washington — Mayor Katie Wilson of Seattle, in King County, Washington, joined the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA), City Council members, the city's Human Services Department and community organizations on October 21 to announce a citywide shift in Seattle's homelessness strategy, scaling up an approach piloted in Pioneer Square. The framework, pioneered by the national organization Community Solutions, was tested in the 'Streets to Housing' pilot launched in June ahead of the World Cup: partners shared data and followed individuals by name from outreach to placement, and 70 of the 80 people engaged were placed into sustained shelter or housing, a nearly 90 percent placement rate. Among them, 47 percent had been homeless for more than three years, 77 percent suffered from addiction or mental illness, and 16 percent were seniors; only three people declined all services.
Wilson said the expansion will work with more neighborhoods to build real-time By-Name lists, prioritize shelter placements for those having the greatest impact on public space, and match high-support shelter services to complex individual needs, with the goal of keeping parks and sidewalks open for public use rather than sweeping people from one block to the next. She noted the shift will largely be accomplished by reorganizing existing resources, but its success depends on passage of the $37 million for shelter in her budget proposal, which closes Seattle's $175 million deficit. District 2 Councilmember Eddie Lin said in the mayor's office statement that individualized, robust support is essential for those in greatest need, and Tuyen Than, executive director of the Chinatown-International District Business Improvement Area, welcomed an approach that strengthens coordination and creates pathways to support and services. (GSM, based on the Office of the Mayor release)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 西雅图先锋广场 Maynard Building 实景（119 First Avenue South，试点所在社区）。图片：Joe Mabel，CC BY-SA 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / The Maynard Building at 119 First Avenue South in Seattle's Pioneer Square, the pilot neighborhood. Photo: Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
