In a rare move, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray will give a live, televised address tonight outlining the steps his administration has taken on homelessness since he declared a state of emergency in November.
Last year’s one-night count found an increase in homelessness countywide with 2,800 people sleeping on the streets of Seattle and thousands more in transitional housing and shelters. In response, the city opened two tent encampments on city-owned land. Since the state of emergency declaration, Murray’s administration has also opened new shelter beds and outlined plans for two “safe lots” where people living in vehicles can park if they abide by certain rules.
In the process, Murray has faced criticism from all sides. While some neighborhood activists say they support the safe lots move, others say it won’t do enough to clean up crime in their neighborhoods (crime they blame largely on people living in RVs). Meanwhile, homeless advocates criticize Murray’s administration for their ongoing sweeps of illegal homeless encampments, which they say force vulnerable people to move along even when the city’s shelters are full.
Expect Murray to review all of these steps and try to tamp down concerns on both sides in tonight’s address. He stood by the safe lots decision on KIRO this morning. “To say that all of those individuals in RVs or in tents are involved in crime is just not fair,” Murray said. “It’s part of this discussion that we’ve got to stop.”
His speech starts at 7:30. You can watch it on Channel 21 on Comcast and Wave or live stream it right here.
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