In a recent column that appeared in Real Change (RC, “Murray’s state of emergency on homelessness looks more like a stalemate,” Jan. 13), the Rev. Bill Kirlin-Hackett, director of the Interfaith Task Force on Homelessness, made the case that we must act now to address our homelessness crisis. I could not agree with him more.
That’s why Mayor Ed Murray declared a state of emergency over the growing homelessness crisis.
Kirlin-Hackett calls on local government to do more — and we are. During the mayor’s first two years in office, the city of Seattle has stepped up in historic ways to help people in need get services, shelter and a path out of homelessness. He’s increased funding for homeless services in each of his budgets.
The mayor, with the united support of the Seattle City Council, has taken the city’s financial support for those who are homeless to the highest level in Seattle’s history. The city will spend $50 million this year for services and shelter beds to aid homeless adults, young people and families throughout Seattle.
By declaring a state of emergency, the city will have more administrative authority and flexibility in contracting for services and providing resources to help those experiencing homelessness.
We’ve seen some real results in a short period of time. Since the declaration of emergency two months ago, the city and our partners — such as local service providers and King County — have opened nearly 300 new spaces in shelters and authorized encampments. This is in addition to the more than 1,600 shelter beds Seattle currently funds.
In January, a new shelter that will serve 60 women opened in North Seattle. For the first time, a mobile medical van is operating in Seattle to provide needed medical care.
We also know that we must build more permanent housing. Last month, the mayor announced a record $45 million toward the construction of 809 new units of affordable housing. In fact, a new 90-unit building for chronically homeless people opened up in Interbay in December. The mayor has also indicated he plans to propose a significant increase in funding of the Seattle Housing Levy, which has created thousands of permanent homes for homeless people over the past 30 years.
At the Human Services Department, we’re also reforming the way we deliver services to ensure we are measuring outcomes and delivering results. The mayor asked me, as director of Seattle’s Human Services Department, to do a top-to-bottom review of how we deliver homeless services. We found that we can do a much better job contracting with nonprofit service providers. Our goal is to enable them to focus more on helping people instead of dealing with government red-tape.
In addition to finding more local funding, the mayor acknowledged that local government cannot do it alone. When declaring the state of emergency, the mayor called on our federal and state partners to renew their commitment to addressing what is, without a doubt, a national crisis.
We know that federal support has declined over the years, forcing local governments to backfill the lost resources. A decade ago, Seattle dollars represented less than 40 percent of the total funding for homelessness services. It’s now more than 60 percent. Under the state of emergency, the city is seeking additional state and federal funds to respond to the urgent needs of those who are suffering.
While there is still more to do and some wish we could do it faster, I ask that passionate advocates such as Kirlin-Hackett also acknowledge the tremendous amount of new services and shelter that have been set up in a short amount of time. What’s more, over the next few weeks, we will see even more come online as the rest of the $7.3 million in emergency funds is invested to help those experiencing homelessness.
Catherine Lester is the director of the Seattle Human Services Department. One of the largest contributors to Seattle’s safety net, the Human Service Department provides $89 million in funding through 450 contracts to nearly 200 agencies that support Seattle’s most vulnerable residents each year.