Service Providers Against Sweeps

Erica C. Barnett breaks down the Harrell administrations failure to make good on his campaign promise of 2000 new housing units as well as the fudged numbers he uses to pretend he at least came close, it's well worth a read!

We want to highlight Barnett's final point: "What’s harder to understand is why more of Harrell’s supporters—who professed to support housing, not just sweeping, people living in parks and city rights-of-way—aren’t asking why he failed to deliver."

Proponents of sweeps often try to paint the practice as "compassionate" because nobody should have to live outside. But these same people seem to lack any urgency around providing safe, permanent indoor living spaces for those callously pushed around the city. We have repeatedly lobbied the City to provide actual services to those living outside - such as hygiene stations, trash pick up, and basic supplies such as food - until there is enough actual housing for every single person. Most sweeps happen without sufficient long term shelter for the people caught up in them.

Harrell Promised 2,000 Units of Housing or Shelter by the End of His First Year. He Didn't Deliver. - PubliCola By Erica C. Barnett When he ran for mayor in 2021, Bruce Harrell vowed to implement key elements of the…

While residents and business owners of the International District/China Town are asking for more conversations and community involvement regarding expansion of existing shelter/social services in the neighborhood, their requests are being coopted by political agents from outside the community. Local independent reporter Erica Barnett does a great job here of breaking down the recent rallies and protests against expanded services in the area, and conservative agitating around the issue. We are concerned about the growing trend in our region of scapegoating our unhoused population as a recruitment tactic into far right extremism. At the same time plans to create shelter are hitting a wall, regional authorities and the City of Seattle are expanding and increasing the brutal, cruel and ineffective practice of “encampment removals”, also known as sweeps.

Under Pressure, County Executive Constantine Cancels Plans to Expand S**o Shelter - PubliCola By Erica C. Barnett King County Executive Dow Constantine announced on Friday that in response to “community feedback,” the county…