An encampment in Seattle proven on March 12, 2022. Picture: John Moore/Getty Photos
As winter climate blankets the area, a brand new federal report ranks Washington as having one of many largest populations of individuals experiencing homelessness, with half of these folks dwelling unsheltered.
Driving the information: The U.S. Division of Housing and City Improvement’s annual homelessness evaluation, launched this week, exhibits that Washington is second solely to California relating to its variety of residents dwelling exterior with no shelter.
Amongst city areas, solely New York Metropolis and the Los Angeles metro had bigger complete homeless populations than Seattle and King County in 2022.
Why it issues: Greater than 250 folks experiencing homelessness died in King County this yr — a document quantity, in response to KUOW, with hypothermia one of many widespread causes of loss of life.
The massive image: Whereas native numbers have equally proven a rise in homelessness lately, the federal report helps us know the place we stand compared to different locations.
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Particulars: This yr’s one-night point-in-time rely discovered a complete of 25,211 folks experiencing homelessness in Washington — a rise of 10% from 2020. That quantity consists of folks dwelling in momentary housing or shelters, in addition to these dwelling unsheltered exterior.
Solely California, New York and Florida had bigger complete homeless populations than Washington on this yr’s rely, per the HUD report.
Nationwide, greater than half of all folks experiencing homelessness within the nation had been in these 4 states, the report stated.
Sure, however: Whereas the sheer variety of folks with out houses in Washington eclipsed most locations, different states and areas noticed their homeless populations develop by a lot bigger percentages.
Tennessee, as an illustration, noticed its homeless inhabitants rise by about 46%, whereas the variety of folks experiencing homelessness in Louisiana greater than doubled, leaping by 132%.
In the meantime, in Seattle and King County, the homeless inhabitants rose about 13.8% from 2020 to 2022.
What they’re saying: Gov. Jay Inslee, in addition to native officers, have stated that the principle driver of the area’s homelessness disaster is a scarcity of obtainable housing.
To attempt to deal with that, Inslee desires voters to approve $4 billion subsequent yr to pay for reasonably priced housing tasks, he introduced final week.
Jamie Housen, a spokesperson for Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, stated the town is working to handle the issue by placing an “unprecedented” $250 million towards reasonably priced housing in its 2023 price range.
What we’re watching: Whether or not state lawmakers will advance Inslee’s reasonably priced housing plan within the spring — and in the event that they do, whether or not voters will log off on it.
Of notice: A vigil is being held Wednesday in honor of these experiencing homelessness who died in King County this yr. The ceremony will happen exterior Seattle Metropolis Corridor at sundown, anticipated at 4:21pm.
What a year it has been. It’s impossible to adequately summarize the highs and lows of 2024, but there’s something cathartic about re-engaging with the stories that really grabbed our readers and captured the mood of the last 12 months in Seattle. From the saddest closures to the triumphs of a solo deliveryman stickin’ it to the apps, these were the biggest moments in Seattle food news this year.
Shame on us for thinking the Barbie bump was over post-Barbenheimer Summer 2023. Seattle’s decorated restaurant institution Canlis proved that odes to the Mattel brand continue to capture attention even a year later, when in July the whole restaurant was repainted Barbie pink to transform into “Kenlis” for a a doll-themed two-day party in August. Naturally, it sold out.
There’s nothing more wholesome in the face of late-stage capitalism than watching a guy like Tony Illes rise in the delivery wars against the likes of DoorDash and Uber Eats. Illes made a name for himself by charging a flat delivery fee, competing with the high costs of competitors that hiked rates in response to Seattle standards for minimum wage workers on the app. We salute you, Tony Delivers.
This story’s outsized impact merely scrapes the surface of what Howdy Bagel co-owner Jake Carter meant to the wider community. Carter was tragically killed while traveling in New Orleans in January. The Tacoma restaurant, which is known to draw long lines, reopened in February with friends and fans of the shop paying tribute to Carter in the form of hand-written notes.
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In August, Eater Seattle editor Harry Cheadle reported on the exception to Seattle’s minimum wage law that allowed small businesses to give tipped workers a lower base pay rate than non-tipped workers. Allowing the exemption to expire will likely put a squeeze on many restaurants in the city next year and perhaps lead to broader changes such as increased use of service fees. In October, elected officials confirmed that they would allow the tipped credit exemption to expire as planned. Hourly workers in all businesses, tipped or not, will be paid $20.76 come 2025.
Seattle celebrated its 2024 crop of James Beard Award semifinalists in January. Included among the ranks were Quynh-Vy and Yenvy Pham of Pho Bac, the Boat, and Phocific Standard Time; Aaron Verzosa of Archipelago; the Walrus and the Carpenter; Jenet Becerra of Pancita; Ben Campbell of Ben’s Bread Co.; and Eight Row. They were joined by Kristi Brown of Communion, Grayson Corrales of MariPili Tapas Bar, Evan Leichtling of Off Alley, Melissa Miranda of Musang, Avery Adams of Orcas Island’s Matia Kitchen, and Derek Bray at the Table in Tacoma — all of whom were under consideration for the Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific category. Ultimately, the region walked away empty-handed.
Build-your-own pizza chain Mod Pizza got its start in Seattle and has expanded to hundreds of locations since then, but lately, it’s fallen on hard times. In what’s been characterized as a move to avert bankruptcy, Mod sold to Elite Restaurant Group in July.
The early aughts trend in cupcake shops managed to sustain in Seattle for decades under Cupcake Royale. The brand founded by Jody Hall opened in 2003 on the leading edge of the cupcake craze in the PNW. But, like so many things harmed by the pandemic, Hall announced that Cupcake Royale would be shutting down its cafes to focus on delivery and pickup service.
Seattle lost more than a few great restaurants and bars this year — we’re looking at you ʔálʔal Cafe, Two Doors Down, Coastal Kitchen, that one weird Taco Time — but some hurt more than others and for Eater Seattle readers, dry-aged burger favorite 49th Street Beast was deeply mourned. The restaurant closed on July 28 inside Fair Island Brewing.
In brighter burger news, Familyfriend absolutely captivated diners this year with its smash-hit Kewpie burger — a dish so good it earned an Eater Award. Eater Seattle’s piece on the dramatic rise of Familyfriend on TikTok revealed even more about this Guamian gamechanger, which (by the way) has way more than burgers to offer.
Word of Andrew Rubinstein’s forthcoming bagel shop delighted fans throughout the Seattle area after he sold his namesake shop Rubinstein Bagels to restaurateur Ethan Stowell. Rubinstein’s new venture, Hey Bagel, is slated to open any day now in University Village and you could cut the anticipation with a bread knife.
Seattle Kraken (12-13-1, in the Pacific Division) vs. New York Islanders (9-10-7, in the Metropolitan Division)
Elmont, New York; Thursday, 7:30 p.m. EST
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BOTTOM LINE: The New York Islanders play the Seattle Kraken in a non-conference matchup.
New York is 9-10-7 overall and 4-5-2 in home games. The Islanders have gone 2-3-2 in games they have more penalties than their opponent.
Seattle is 12-13-1 overall and 5-7-0 in road games. The Kraken have allowed 78 goals while scoring 74 for a -4 scoring differential.
The teams play Thursday for the second time this season. The Kraken won 3-2 in the previous matchup.
TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Palmieri has scored 10 goals with 10 assists for the Islanders. Simon Holmstrom has five goals and two assists over the last 10 games.
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Jared McCann has 10 goals and 13 assists for the Kraken. Yanni Gourde has scored four goals with four assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Islanders: 3-4-3, averaging 2.5 goals, four assists, 2.4 penalties and 5.1 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game.
Kraken: 5-5-0, averaging 2.6 goals, 4.6 assists, 1.7 penalties and 3.7 penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game.
INJURIES: Islanders: None listed.
Kraken: None listed.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Yanni Gourde and Jaden Schwartz had a goal and an assist each and the Seattle Kraken snapped a three-game skid, beating the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Tuesday night.
Gourde’s wrist shot at 10:48 in the third period broke a 2-2 tie. Brandon Tanev and Eeli Tolvanen also scored for Seattle and Matty Beniers added two assists. Joey Daccord stopped 15 shots.
Eric Robinson and Martin Necas scored for the Hurricanes, who lost their third straight. Necas added an assist to improve his team-leading point total to 39. The Hurricanes finished with a season-low 16 shots. Pyotr Kochetkov made 24 saves in his first start after missing four games with a concussion.
Kraken: Typically, it’s the Hurricanes who dominate puck possession and significantly outshoot their opponent. Seattle controlled Tuesday’s game and was particularly effective in the second period with a 14-2 shot advantage. It was only the second time this season the Kraken held their opponent to fewer than 20 shots.
Hurricanes: Kochetkov’s return was supposed to stabilize the goaltending situation. After he gave up Schwartz’s goal 19 seconds into the game, he settled down. Kochetkov missed four games after he suffered a concussion on Nov. 23 in a shootout loss in Columbus. The Hurricanes went 2-2 without Kochetkov. They’ve been without top goalie Frederik Andersen with a knee injury since a 4-1 win at Seattle on Oct. 26. Andersen is expected to be out for another six to 10 weeks.
Key moment
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At 10:02 in the third, Jack Drury’s goal for Carolina was overturned on a successful coach’s challenge for goaltender interference. Fifty seconds later, Gourde beat Kochetkov to give Seattle a 3-2 lead.
Key stat
The Kraken improved to 7-1-1 this season when scoring first.
Up Next
The Kraken continue a four-game road trip at the New York Islanders and the Hurricanes host Colorado, both on Thursday night.
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Last game: Kraken fall to Sharks 4-2 for third straight loss