Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Earlier this week I announced a concrete proposal for action the City can take to help people living in our public spaces secure areas to rest that have four walls, heat, and a door that locks. The “It Takes A Village” proposal is a plan to leverage public money with private partnerships to drastically increase the number of Tiny House Village spaces available in 2021.

This proposal to scale these emergency shelter placements is in response to the number one issue I hear about from constituents: the failure of our City government over the last five years to provide better options for people to live and to create sufficient housing in Seattle. It is unacceptable to have so many of our neighbors living in tents during a public health crisis, and for our public spaces to be used as living spaces rather than spaces for recreation and contemplation. 

The campaign has secured commitments of more than $1 million in private contributions to get this initiative off and running. Since our press conference on Monday (view here), I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of my constituents who have reached out with offers of support such as donations, labor, or assistance finding suitable sites to host villages.