Press Release

For Immediate Release

Contact Information
Sage Wilson
Phone: 206-889-0277
Email: sage.wilson@seattle.gov

Key shelter legislation passes out of City Council

City Council today voted to pass two key pieces of legislation which will help Mayor Katie B. Wilson continue to make rapid progress to expand shelter with wrap-around services across the city.

“I am more hopeful than ever that we can actually make tangible progress on homelessness and bring people inside this year,” said Mayor Wilson. “Thank you to City Council for working in partnership on this legislation to eliminate unnecessary administrative roadblocks, and allocate funds to move with the urgency our homelessness crisis demands.”

Working closely with councilmembers, the mayor was able to move two key pieces of legislation from introduction to passage in little more than a month. CB 121184, sponsored by Councilmember Strauss, will accelerate the process of opening new shelter by allowing the city’s Finance and Administrative Services department to directly sign lease agreements with property owners. This will eliminate bureaucratic obstacles and allow the City to prepare sites, which can then be turned over to service providers to operate shelter.

CB 121185, also sponsored by Councilmember Strauss, allocates $4.8 million from existing underutilized city sources to fund shelter and wrap-around services. $3.3 million will be appropriated from an underutilized revolving loan program that was difficult to deploy and not previously appropriated. And an additional $1.5 million would be appropriated from the Downtown Health & Human Service fund, which is a program from the 1990s that has not been used for a decade.

“This legislation is about treating Seattle’s homelessness crisis like the emergency it is," said Councilmember Dan Strauss (District 6). "Getting people inside quickly and effectively needs to be our number one priority. That’s why I worked with Mayor Wilson and my Council colleagues to fast track this legislation, while still including important amendments focused on oversight, accountability, and safety. I am thankful to the mayor for proposing this ambitious plan, and look forward to working with her, councilmembers, and our community to make sure we do this right.”

Earlier this year, the mayor signed  CB 121093 and CB 121135 into law. Sponsored by Councilmember Eddie Lin (District 2), these bills will speed the production of housing and shelter by removing unnecessary regulatory barriers and expediting permitting. These ordinances could accelerate development timelines by as much as five to twelve months, including for the 1,000 units of emergency housing the mayor is committed to open this year. 

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