Also in this issue: Seattle's 150th birthday, Mayor Jenny visits youth in South Park, and more!

Durkan Digest Standard Header



Late last month, I announced my budget plan for Seattle for 2020. [ [link removed] ]

This past week, City Council began consideration of my proposal. One of the core priorities of that budget is investing in addressing one of the great moral challenges of our time:

Our homelessness crisis.

Over the last year, as weve added more accountability, weve also started doing more than ever to help our neighbors who are living unsheltered.

We are serving more households, moving more households to permanent housing, and preventing more people from becoming homeless in the first place.

And while we have a long way to go, we are doing better in addressing the reality that people of color are disproportionately impacted and lag behind on services.

The bottom line is: Our investments to address this crisis are having an impact.

Sgt. Zerr from the Seattle Navigation Team and a man experiencing homelessness shake hands during an encampment visit

This spring, for the first time since 2012 unlike other large cities on the West Coast the annual Point in Time count showed a reduction in the number of people living unsheltered here in Seattle and King County. [ [link removed] ]

That is progress.

Weve made that progress by investing more in housing, and by increasing our 24/7 shelters with more services and case management by 88%. By centering it on what people actually need, we are moving more people out of homelessness than basic shelters ever have.

Another way weve made progress is by investing to expand our Navigation Team [ [link removed] ] something my proposed budget continues to do.

The Navigation Team is our Citys frontline response to the crisis of people experiencing homelessness. Since they were formed in 2017, theyve moved people to safer place while also removing the most unsafe encampments that harm the people living in them and our communities.

The Navigation Team literally saves lives. This February, when we had more snow than weve seen in half a century, the Navigation Team worked 24/7 to connect with hundreds of people and transport nearly individuals to shelters and warming stations across the city.

A member of the Seattle Navigation team encourages a man bundled up in blankets and coats to come inside during the February 2019 snowstorm

And in the first six months of 2019, nearly half of all people experiencing homelessness who entered shelter through City-supported outreach did so based on a referral from the Navigation Team.

Thats why I chose to sustain the expansion of the Navigation Team in my budget for 2020. Unfortunately, as they review my budget plan, some City Councilmembers are proposing to withhold investments for the Navigation Team, or cut its funding all together. [ [link removed] ]If that happens, it will mean the City will have fewer resources to bring people inside to safer places, to address encampments and obstructions in the public right of way, and to remove trash, waste, and debris.

A member of the Seattle Navigation Team comforts a woman living sheltered by placing his arm around her shoulder

The bottom line is simple: Cutting investments in the Navigation Team will take our Citys response to the homelessness crisis backwards.

I dont want to see that happen.

Please continue to write me [email protected], reach out viaTwitter [ [link removed] ]andFacebook [ [link removed] ], and stay up-to-date on the work were doing for the people of Seattle onmyblog. [ [link removed] ]

Sincerely,

Mayor Jenny A. Durkan's SignatureSpacer
Mayor Durkan Joins Fire and Police Chiefs to Visit South Park Community

This week, Mayor Durkan, Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best and Fire Chief Harold Scoggins joined young people and community members in South Park to discuss plans for keeping their neighborhood safe and welcoming, expanding the South Park community center, and the status of community-based emphasis patrols in the area. The Mayor also met up with the Duwamish Valley Youth Corps to discuss opportunities and learn more about three new murals created in and around the Duwamish Waterway Park.

Screenshot of Mayor's Tweet featuring three images of her alongside Chief Carmen Best and Duwamish Valley Youth Corps members

You can read more about the Mayors visit in the West Seattle Blog. [ [link removed] ]

Spacer
Mayor Durkan Celebrates the City of Seattles 150th Year Since It Was Incorporated

Standing alongside City of Seattle employees, Mayor Durkan kicked off the celebration [ [link removed] ] of the City of Seattles 150thyear and helped launch"Seattle at 150: Stories of the city through 150 Objects from the Seattle Municipal Archives"."Seattle at 150"is a commemorative book that features objects from the Seattle Municipal Archives spanning the last 150 years.

Mayor Jenny Durkan holds the Seattle at 150 book above her head in celebration with City Clerk Monica Martinez Simmons looking on

While the City was officially incorporated 150 years ago on December 2, 1869, we must remember that Indigenous people have lived on these lands since time immemorial. Today and every day, we remember that we are honored to reside in Coast Salish territories.

The 150 objects in the book illustrate how Seattle has changed over the years, from our massive population growth and economic boom, to the waves of new residents who make our City more inclusive and just, to the impact of community organizers and civic leaders who constantly push for positive and lasting change."Seattle at 150: Stories of the city through 150 Objects from the Seattle Municipal Archives"will be available on November 1, 2019 via local independent book sellers and online.

An online exhibit of the Seattle Municipal Archives accompanies the book. The exhibit is available online at:[link removed] [ [link removed] ].

Spacer
Trump Administrations Proposed Public Charge Rule Blocked by Courts

Last Friday, several judges throughout the country blocked [ [link removed] ] the federal governments attempts to effectively impose an income test on immigrants and their families applying for green cards, forcing them to choose between reuniting with their loved ones and accessing crucial government services like health care, housing assistance, and other lifeline services.

Mayor Durkan called this injunction [ [link removed] ], A victory in our fight against the presidents anti-immigrant and anti-family agenda. The Statue of Liberty proclaims: Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. We cant let this administration go back on that promise.

In December 2018, the City of Seattlesubmitted a public comment [ [link removed] ]in opposition to the draft rule. In addition, the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA) worked with community togenerate over 1,100 public comments [ [link removed] ]in response to the public charge rule.

Spacer
Happening in Seattle This Weekend
Minecraft The Exhibition logo written in grey block lettering

*MoPOP Minecraft Exhibition Opening Weekend Celebration: [ [link removed] ] *October 19 20

This immersive exhibition brings the virtual landscape of Minecraft to life through full-scale creatures, scenic backdrops, a day-night lighting cycle, dynamic audio effects, and a gallery score designed for players and non-players of all ages.

Created in partnership with Mojang, the exhibition celebrates the games 10th anniversary by exploring how Minecraft has developed into a platform for unlimited creative expression, community-crafting, and inspiration to build a better world outside of the game.

*REFRACT, a Festival of Glass at Pratt Fine Arts Center: [ [link removed] ] *October 17 20

Enjoy amazing artist demonstrations in a dozen different studios, live music by internationally known Tlingit glass artistPreston Singletary's [ [link removed] ]all indigenous bandKhu.ex [ [link removed] ], DJ, food trucks, cash bars, and a live bronze pour!

*Turkish Festival at Seattle Center: [ [link removed] ] *October 19 October 20

*2019 MLS Cup Playoffs: Seattle Sounders FC vs. FC Dallas [ [link removed] ]:* October 19, 12:30 p.m.

*Seattle Seahawks vs. Baltimore Ravens @ Centurylink Field: [ [link removed] ]* October 20, 1:25 p.m.

Spacer
Weekend Read: KING5: Seattle City Council may seek to defund homeless response team

For this weekends recommended read, we encourage you to read KING5s recent article about the potential ramifications of defunding Seattles Navigation Team: [ [link removed] ]

"The legislation comes after Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan proposed raising funding for homelessness services to over $100 million and praised the work of the Navigation Team. The homeless response team was credited by city employees with saving lives during last Februarys snowstorms."

"Without the navigation teams, we're going to bring less people inside, less people have housing, and well be unable to clear encampments and obstructions, said Durkan, in an interview with KING 5. If you eliminate the nav team, I think you really eliminate our citys ability to deal with the homelessness issue We cant have a city that just has encampments everywhere and not have a strategy to have shelter and housing."

"There have been arguments that the money would be better-served building shelters or tiny homes. In this case, there will likely be a vocal outcry that the city would be neglecting public safety concerns surrounding certain encampments."

Read more [ [link removed] ]





*Seattle Office of the Mayor*

600 4th Avenue

4th Floor

Seattle, WA 98104

*Phone: 206-684-4000*

facebook [ [link removed] ]twitter [ [link removed] ]front porch [ [link removed] ] [ [link removed] ] [ [link removed] ] [ [link removed] ] seattle dot gov

Manage Preferences [ [link removed] ] | Unsubscribe [ [link removed] ] | Contact Us [ [link removed] ] | Help [ [link removed] ]| Privacy [ [link removed] ]




________________________________________________________________________

This email was sent to [email protected] using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: City of Seattle 707 17th St, Suite 4000 Denver, CO 80202 GovDelivery logo [ [link removed] ]