Seattle council approves bills to speed up shelter construction

The Seattle City Council passed two bills Tuesday aimed at speeding shelter construction this year, with a third still wending its way through committee.

The three pieces of legislation were offered by Mayor Katie Wilson this year as part of her pursuit of 4,000 new shelter beds during her first term in office - including 1,000 in her first year and 500 by the World Cup this summer.

One identifies more than $8 million in spending to set up and run 500 shelter beds this year, on top of about $9 million tapped by the mayor's office that does not need council approval.

The second gives the city new authority to sign leases for larger pieces of land at market rates, lifting a previous limitation on the size and cost of real estate secured directly by the city. The mayor hopes this new authority will allow the city to bypass a lengthy process for securing shelter sites that previously ran through the King County Regional Homelessness Authority.

The third bill, which is still in committee, would raise the limit on the number of people allowed at a shelter site from 100 to 150 at baseline, with several sites allowed to go up to 250.

Wilson's goal of 4,000 new beds is more ambitious than any made before her and carries with it enormous questions about funding, space, management, safety and paths to permanent housing.

More than just new beds, Wilson has emphasized she wants them to be accompanied with wraparound services so that they might serve those with the highest level of needs, be they related to mental health, substance use or both.

That kind of housing, however, costs a lot - up to $45,000 a bed, according to the city, versus roughly half that for beds without support services.

Council members are broadly supportive of Wilson's goals and emphasized that they, too, want these shelter beds to come with significant support.

At the same time, several voiced some trepidation about a lack of a well-defined plan.

I will say that in these few months of a new mayor, we have yet to understand exactly what the plan is for the rest of the year," said Councilmember Dan Strauss, "and in most circumstances the council would not pass a budget bill without an exact plan nailed down."

But the council felt confident enough in the requirements they placed on the mayor's office to approve the new funding.

Among the amendments added by council members are a requirement they get regular updates on progress, that they be involved in creating a clear implementation plan, that new shelter sites have agreements with surrounding neighborhoods and that the mayor's office be poised to respond quickly to reports of unsafe activity.

The goal of getting to 500 units by the World Cup is likely "unrealistic" staff for the council concluded, considering the timelines for finding space and setting up structures for people to live in. The mayor's office, too, has acknowledged it would be a stretch to hit that number by June, saying its real goal is the 1,000 this year.

Wilson last week announced the first site in Interbay that will host 75 people. In addition, the administration has identified roughly 10 sites that could host people and is hopeful the new leasing authority will speed up bringing them online.

I am more hopeful than ever that we can actually make tangible progress on homelessness and bring people inside this year," Wilson said in a statement after the vote Tuesday.

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