Seattle City Council hears shelter expansion proposal of 500 new beds by June

SEATTLE — Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is pushing to open hundreds of new shelter beds by June in an effort to move more people experiencing homelessness indoors before the FIFA World Cup comes to the city.

Seattle’s budget office estimates each shelter unit costs about $28,000, according to a city report. Wilson is asking the City Council, donors and philanthropic groups to help fund the first phase of her homelessness plan, which aims to create 500 new shelter spaces ahead of the international event.

“Our task now is to set up as much shelter as quickly as possible,” Senior Policy Adviser John Grant said during a City Council committee meeting Monday.

The proposal has support from some people who pass by a growing encampment near Seattle Center.

“I think that’s great. I think everyone needs a place to sleep,” said Michael Vincent of Seattle.

“Preferably tiny homes because they tend to be more cost-friendly,” added Thomas Andrikus, also of Seattle.

During a presentation to the council, the budget office said the city has identified $17.5 million that could support shelter expansion. The plan would require council approval to use $3.3 million in federal community development block grants and another $1.5 million from the Downtown Health and Human Services Fund.

Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck said she supports the effort and praised the urgency behind the plan, which includes vetting and selecting potential shelter sites through April.

“We have been in a state of emergency for 10 years now,” Rinck said. “I want to commend you all for moving with urgency on this and giving it the attention it truly needs so we can get our neighbors inside.”

Public Safety Committee Chair Robert Kettle said he also supports expanding options such as safe parking lots for recreational vehicles, similar to the former Interbay site. He said such spaces can help connect people to services while reducing the number of RVs parked in neighborhoods.

“If you have five RVs, at some point you’re going to have one that’s dealing drugs, then a stolen goods market,” Kettle said. “When Salmon Bay Village opened, the number of RVs on Nickerson really dropped.”

Kettle added that communities surrounding potential shelter sites should be included in planning discussions. City officials said they agree.

“The Human Services Department will be bringing together shelter providers to discuss best practices, not only for operating these shelters but also for addressing public safety concerns,” Grant said.

Sharon Lee, executive director of the Low Income Housing Institute, said community outreach has already played a role in opening new tiny home villages, including True Hope Village in Seattle’s Central District.

“Usually neighbors are very curious about who the target population will be,” Lee said. “People want to know that if there’s a village in their neighborhood, priority will go to people already living outside nearby.”

It is unclear when the City Council will next consider the legislation needed to move the shelter expansion forward.