Seattle News and Events Oct. 27 - Nov. 2, 2106

Seattle Office for Civil Rights to Hold Public Meetings on Source of Income Rules

The Seattle Office for Civil Rights is developing administrative rules pertaining to the Source of Income Ordinance, legislation that expands fair housing protections based on their source of income to all renters and creates new requirements for landlords. This includes the new 'first in time' provision that requires landlords to offer tenancy to the first applicant who meets all the screening criteria necessary for approval.

There will be two public meetings to discuss the ordinance.

• Public Meeting #1: 6 p.m. Oct. 27, New Holly Gathering Hall, 7054 32nd Ave South, Seattle WA 98118. This meeting is an opportunity to learn about ordinance requirements, ask questions and raise areas that are unclear and that may require administrative rules.
• Public Meeting #2: 7 p.m. Nov. 17, Bitter Lake Community Center, 13035 Linden Ave N, Seattle, WA 98133. This meeting will be another opportunity to learn about ordinance requirements, ask questions and to review the proposed administrative rules. This meeting is an opportunity to provide in-person or written public comment on the proposed rules.

Childcare and language interpretation will be provided at each meeting. To request an accommodation or language interpretation please call (206) 684-4514.

Space is limited. Register for the events here.

Mayor Murray Announces Interim Action Plan on Homelessness

This week, Mayor Ed Murray announced a plan to better address the immediate needs of people living unsheltered on Seattle streets while the City fully implements its long-term plan, Pathways Home. This plan includes creating additional low-barrier shelter capacity (including shower facilities), expanded outreach, updated unsheltered encampment cleanup protocols, as well as improved trash and needle pick up. The plan, made up of actions the Mayor can take under his Executive authority, was sent to Council in a letter Friday.

This plan recognizes that the City should not displace encampments that do not pose an imminent health or safety risk or do not unlawfully obstruct a public use unless the City is able to offer those living there a safer alternative place to live.

The plan is focused on four areas, laid out in the document sent to Council Monday:

• Safer alternative spaces to live, including four new authorized encampments, a call out to the private and non-profit sectors, and communities of faith for additional proposals for immediate shelter space, and the Seattle Navigation Center, which will open by January, 2017.
• Expanded outreach with the tripling of the number of outreach workers dedicated to connecting with people living in encampments, a dedicated Seattle Police team to partner with outreach workers and address behavioral disorder issues instead of the binary decisions around arrests, and training for frontline City employees on how to best offer referrals for people experiencing homelessness.
• More compassionate protocols for authorized encampments, including the above note about displacement, better protocols around storage and delivery of personal belongings and notice, and transparency around when and why cleanups are carried out.
• Improved trash and needle pickup with Seattle Public Utilities to help address areas most affected by trash buildup and make needle deposit boxes more accessible.

Full details can be found at here.

For more Seattle and Portland area events, see the Community Calendar.