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In 2015, the year when former Mayor Ed Murray declared the state of emergency on homelessness, Seattle has budgeted about $ 50 million in the budget to deal with the crisis. Four years later, Mayor Jenny Durkan's recently released budget proposal provides for approximately $ 90 million in homelessness spending next year, and Seattle City Council plans to add more.
This is a surprising increase, but the increase is not just about new spending. This jump is due in part to Seattle's new accounting method.
In previous years, when the count of funds for homeless people in Seattle was being asked, municipal staff often cited the amount for housing, rental assistance and other programs for homeless residents overseen by the Department of Services. to the person from Seattle. But other services, such as garbage collection in unauthorized tent camps, were and remain spread over several agencies in the city.
In one of his first acts as mayor, Durkan ordered the city's budget office to provide a full count of the city's expenditures on homeless people. After going through the budgets of several other departments, his staff added about $ 9.5 million to the budget. Total expenditures in 2018, bringing the total amended to approximately $ 87 million.
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Budget officials applied the same method to the mayor's recent budget proposal. Released in September, this package includes $ 89.5 million in funding for programs and services related to homelessness.
If Durkan accepts requests for additional funding from City Council, this number may increase. As budget negotiations continue, council members are asking the mayor to approve multiple additions to the budget, including $ 378,000 to continue funding 217 shelter beds run by controversial non-profit organizations. SHARE / WHEEL and $ 4 million to pilot a new tent shelter program for people living on the streets.
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