In his last newsletter, Seattle City Councilmember Alex Pedersen informed readers about Council Bill #119796. According to Pedersen’s office, this is “a controversial bill to drastically limit the effectiveness of our City’s Navigation Team and its option to remove dangerous and unauthorized encampments during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The Council Bill is being sponsored by Councilmembers Kshama Sawant, Tammy J. Morales, and Teresa Mosqueda. Pedersen’s newsletter explained, “Much of the discussion around this legislation centers on the Mayor’s recent removal of an encampment at the Ballard Commons. After offers of housing and services, the Navigation Team proceeded with that removal due to immediate and on-going risks to the public health and safety of the community, including Hepatitis A.” More about this encampment, efforts to relocate ‘residents’ to safer and healthier living shelters, and the health risks run by the encampment’s community, can be found on the City of Seattle’s Homelessness Response Blog dated May 4th (click here.)
During the COVID-19 crisis, the Seattle Navigation Team has distributed 2,233 hygiene kits, flyers from Public Health on COVID-19 and Hepatitis A, and 352 meals. In April, Seattle opened 95 new shelter beds exclusively for Navigation Team referrals, of people experiencing homelessness. The Navigation Team is working hard to bring people living unsheltered into safer and healthier conditions.
Pedersen’s newsletter expressed his concern about CB119796, and how it could limit the ability of the Navigation Team during this crisis. Some of his concerns are:
- How the legislation could hinder getting people into safer conditions, protecting them (and all of us) from communicable diseases such as coronavirus and Hepatitis A
- It would hinder the City’s ability to address unauthorized encampments, including those associated with criminal activity
- It disregards fire and safety hazards, and the impacts of these encampments on our first responders
- It prohibits Seattle Police officers from removing encampments trespassing on private property
- It drastically impacts the City’s ability to address tents that impede sidewalks, including those used by disabled and access-limited citizens, and those in public right-of-ways
- It would effectively authorize camping across the city
Pedersen began his career at the Department of Housing & Urban Development, working to reduce homelessness. “I am extremely sympathetic to the plight of those who are most vulnerable,” he wrote, “I also support the Navigation Team’s effort to connect people with available shelter resources and effectively move people into permanent housing.” Pedersen asks for further clarification of what is a true obstruction, to avoid unnecessary removal of encampments during the COVID crisis. He also calls for relying on evidence-based, proven solutions to addressing homelessness.
You can learn more about Pedersen’s efforts to fight for a more regional response to homelessness, on his blog post (click here.) Councilmember Pedersen represents District #4, East Fremont, Laurelhurst, the U-District, Ravenna, and Wallingford. Find out more about him, and contact him, on his Council page (click here,) or visit the City Council main page (click here,) to find out how to contact the other Councilmembers about CB119796.