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News & ArtsFriday, January 25, 2013
City Annual One Night Count Finds 2,736 People Without Shelter Last Night
Posted by Anna Minard on Fri, Jan 25, 2013 at 9:40 AM
Each year, the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness organizes a swarm of volunteers to canvass King County in the middle of the night and count shelterless people—people in cars, buses, tents, or just under blankets outside. This year there were 800 volunteers, and the 2,736 people they counted represent a 5 percent increase over the 2,594 people counted in 2012. There were 1,989 people in Seattle alone.
This morning, at City Hall Plaza, a coalition of homeless people and advocates including Real Change and SHARE/WHEEL are gathering to strike a gong once for every person counted last night. With guest gong-ringers—city council members, "members of the faith community," and others—taking five-minute shifts ringing the gong at 5 second intervals, the event, which started at 9 a.m., is expected to last until around 1 p.m.
All this serves to remind us that the city's 10-year plan to end homelessness, which was completed in 2005, only has two years left.
"One unsheltered homeless person in January is one too many," says Real Change founding director Timothy Harris. "The One Night Count isn't just a number. It's about individuals who are suffering. It's our job to make some noise."
1
Remember when everyone bashed on Nickles for not getting this done? McGinn hasn't been any better.
Time to vote that clown out of city hall too. Oh wait...we could get a professional basketball team back....
Time to vote that clown out of city hall too. Oh wait...we could get a professional basketball team back....
2
Why can't we enable and support more Share/Wheel self-organized tent encampments? And let's have the police stop throwing away homeless people's tents and sleeping bags and coats and boots. That last should be an easy and no-cost step the city can take.
4
Why can't we build one of those "apodment" high rises, but in someplace super cheap yet accessible to services (using light rail)?
With 250 sq ft apartments, you should be able to fit all the homeless in one or a few buildings.
5
Did you remember to include people north of the ship canal who had to walk in the rain because bus routes are even slower now?
Rapid Ride my ass.
Rapid Ride my ass.
6
@2 -- The police don't throw away people's boots or shelters, moron.
The city attempted to clean out criminal encampments on Beacon Hill's Jungle in 2003.
When homeless advocates complained about the loss of tents and personal belongings, the city responded with new policies for managing seized property.
The city can't "encourage self-organized tent encampments" without taking on the liability for the encampments and without completely abandoning the building and fire codes the rest of us (imo correctly) must follow.
If you honestly care about homelessness (I suspect you don't) or, for that matter, the interface with public services and homelessness (John T. Williams), then shut up, learn a little and actually DO something.
Until then, let the grownups do the talking.
The city attempted to clean out criminal encampments on Beacon Hill's Jungle in 2003.
When homeless advocates complained about the loss of tents and personal belongings, the city responded with new policies for managing seized property.
The city can't "encourage self-organized tent encampments" without taking on the liability for the encampments and without completely abandoning the building and fire codes the rest of us (imo correctly) must follow.
If you honestly care about homelessness (I suspect you don't) or, for that matter, the interface with public services and homelessness (John T. Williams), then shut up, learn a little and actually DO something.
Until then, let the grownups do the talking.
8
it seems as if the problem is intractible, particularly during a recession and stagnant recovery. so beware of making plans with perfection as the goal. you will only fall short.
@4: you're welcome to develop that project anytime. i'll be curious to see what site, and more importantly, what funding you can secure that isn't already being battled over by actual non-profits housing providers.
@4: you're welcome to develop that project anytime. i'll be curious to see what site, and more importantly, what funding you can secure that isn't already being battled over by actual non-profits housing providers.
9
"One unsheltered homeless person in January is one too many" No kidding.
It looks like one woman they tried to count was already dead (third story in the link, and there's no report of cause of death).
It looks like one woman they tried to count was already dead (third story in the link, and there's no report of cause of death).
10
Concur with @7 about real solutions that @4 offered, as opposed to meaningless platitudes while working people reside in Kent and Renton.
Action. Not words.
Action. Not words.
11
Not every one wants to live like the majority. Why is the majority insisting that a minority live like they do? Maybe they like living where they do. Maybe they are adults just like you and me and have made a choice. I hate paternalistic "I must save you from yourself" people. Leave them alone until such time as they ask for help.
12
So, @11, you're saying we should bring back flophouses, so that people who prefer to live life inebriated don't die as a result?
Hmmm. Is there a city plan for that?
Hmmm. Is there a city plan for that?
13
An early step -Free drug an alcohol treatment. Free mental health care. It's a much higher priority than new stadiums.
14
@4 yes, that would be AWESOME!
if we put 2,700 apartments the size of many of these aPODments (tm) - 125 sq ft - all in a single building, it would only be about 10 stories on a one acre building footprint.
lay that on top of the Cap Hill light rail station and you'd get some real TOD that only a serious urbanista could love!
if we put 2,700 apartments the size of many of these aPODments (tm) - 125 sq ft - all in a single building, it would only be about 10 stories on a one acre building footprint.
lay that on top of the Cap Hill light rail station and you'd get some real TOD that only a serious urbanista could love!
15
@12: will, "flophouses" and "apodments" are both essentially SRO's. there used to be all levels of such housing up till the advent of urban renewal after ww2, so there weren't folks sleeping on the streets.
this is a good (and academic) book on how poor people used to be housed in Murka: http://www.amazon.com/New-Homeless-And-O…
@14: 10 stories, 43K sf footprint with 2000+ 125 sf apts? your building sounds like a nightmare to this serious urbanista.
this is a good (and academic) book on how poor people used to be housed in Murka: http://www.amazon.com/New-Homeless-And-O…
@14: 10 stories, 43K sf footprint with 2000+ 125 sf apts? your building sounds like a nightmare to this serious urbanista.
16
You mean you can't find 2,736 uber liberals willing to take one person into their home in Seattle? Wow....
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