SEATTLE — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee visited Seattle Friday, touring agencies assisting to provide care and housing as the state grapples with how to help thousands of homeless people.
“We have just invested over $800 million in state funds to help all cities across the state of Washington,” Inslee said Friday. “We have increased our funding dramatically and what we're doing is giving people multiple ways to deal with homelessness.”
Inslee visited The Hope Factory, a project of Sound Foundations Northwest, where volunteers build tiny homes funded, so far, through grants and donations.
“People get into a tiny home, it is a giant step forward for them to be fully housed,” Inslee said. “We're buying hotels and transforming them. We have congregate shelter. We want soup to nuts, we want multiple ways to attack homelessness, we've got to find the most efficient ways to do business.”
Inslee's visit came following significant news surrounding homelessness policy in western Washington.
On Wednesday, the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, the City of Seattle, King County, We are In King County and the Washington State Lived Experience Coalition gave an update on the “Partnership for Zero” project, announcing the launch of a housing command center and outlining plans to house people living unsheltered in downtown Seattle and the Chinatown International District.
Thursday, the Mayor of Seattle made a public request for more funding for the Unified Care Team, charged with handling requests, shelter referrals and clean-ups around urban encampments.
Inslee’s visit was focused on the community-driven efforts already underway, but he recognized that government investment and policymaking toward long-term solutions are also needed.
“We need to build more housing, fundamentally,” Inslee said. “That means we need to change out zoning, which allows more places to be built in our cities- including right here in Seattle. We need to have long-term solutions, long-term permanent housing, permanent steel, which is a long-term investment.”
He said in the meantime, Washington needs more temporary housing including tiny homes and hotel conversions, and says rapid housing is supported by a $300 million investment from the $800 million the state allocated toward homelessness solutions.
Meanwhile, one of the groups he visited-- Sound Foundations Northwest- made an announcement about a 4-year-plan to build 18,000 tiny homes. They're asking for assistance via public funding and private donations. More information is on their website.