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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I was thrilled to have the opportunity to pen an op-ed for The Seattle Times this week and make the case for reforming our region’s approach to homelessness. In it, I argue that if we truly want to reduce homelessness, local leaders must recognize that the region’s failed policies must also change. If we do one without the other, we are simply rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
READ IT HERE: King County, Seattle approach to homelessness needs a complete overhaul — Reagan Dunn
Click on the picture (Courtesy of The Seattle Times) to read my Op-Ed.
Here is the problem: Our current policies are not working. Statistically, our region is by far the worst in the country when it comes to addressing homelessness. Last year the county sheltered 522 fewer people while 2,019 more people lived outside. After 10 years of the same approach, it has never been clearer that our policies have failed.
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“The hard truth is our region will not make progress with homelessness until leaders address its root causes.” – Councilmember Reagan Dunn
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King County and Seattle have an opportunity to move beyond the false choice between compassion and accountability. We need both. A successful system should invest in a diversity of solutions but not shy away from holding people accountable and intervening when people are too sick to help themselves. Other jurisdictions are proving that these strategies work. Local leaders should implement them here and reverse the failed policy experiments of the last decade.
 Reagan Dunn
King County Councilmember
District 9
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