I really don't see how anyone can find fault with Murray's logic here.

Also we spend $40 million a year on homelessness? That is an astounding figure and I would never have guessed we already spend so much on the issue. (This is not necessarily an argument against the increased funding as the problem is clearly worsening every day and 'do nothing' is not an option.)

It's not simply about more money being needed. It's about how that money is spent. Seventy percent of the city's current spending on homeless services is on intervention (shelter beds, hygiene centers, food programs, etc.) - services for people after they become homeless. Less than 20 percent is spent on housing and only around 11 percent is spent on intervention. That approach has largely been driven by advocates/activists like the folks are SHARE and Real Change.

The city needs to shift funding to upstream measures that prevent people from becoming homeless in the first place, and toward permanent housing. As long as we continue to focus on band-aid measures like tent encampments and advocate for the same failed measures that led to this crisis, we can't expect anything to change.

We will never be able to really address these problems until we find new revenue streams. Raising property tax only increases homelessness. Increasing sales tax only makes it harder to buy food.

Our city/state needs a progressive income tax and we need to see an initiative for that in Seattle by 2016. We need it in front of the State Supreme Court decided before 2017 so then we can implement it.

In the meantime just take Sharon Lee's advice from the low income housing Institute she's fucking brilliant.

Ed Murray is against using rainy day funds to fight homelessness because he isn't serious about solving the problem. There is very little new money in the dinky $5.5 million proposal he put on the table, just as there is very little in the dinky 5%-8% inclusionary zoning element in HALA. Ed Murray is a master at political theater, and most people are more than ready to be cheerleaders rather than dig into Murray's slight-of-hand efforts to solve problems. I predict that before the year is out Murray will say "never mind" and let Triad build on the giant hole in the ground across the street from City Hall. All Triad will have to do is include a token amount of housing affordable for people up to 80% AMI, and that project will go forward under yet another contract renewal.

the Mayor Is Against Using Rainy Day Funds to Fight Homelessness