Today, Mayor Bruce Harrell made the following statement:
“In Seattle, our approach to homelessness is driven by urgency and compassion – leading to record shelter referrals, an 80% reduction in tent encampments, and thousands of new affordable and supportive housing units. We’ve reduced crime and street disorder, outpaced the county in the decline in fatal overdoses, and lowered homelessness-related gun violence by 62% since 2022. These are serious challenges and difficult work – and there is clearly more to do – but Seattleites are seeing tangible progress because of our dedicated approach.
“President Trump issued a bombastic Executive Order that is not focused on prevention or meaningful solutions. Instead, it drives a false narrative to distract from failed campaign promises like bringing down prices and effectively addressing global instability.
“If Trump were actually interested in helping cities, he’d stop cutting the social safety net, maintain investments in HUD and housing vouchers, and challenge Washington D.C.’s status quo by funding affordable housing development and treatment options at scale.”