Moving Forward

The City Council took an important step yesterday in adopting two parts of my five-point plan to address crime and street disorder on our streets and sidewalks. 

In summary, the five measures to improve the qualify-of-life on our streets includes more police foot patrols, continued hiring of officers to increase police presence in our neighborhoods, enhanced efforts to connect those in need with appropriate social services, making more “housing first” units with support services a priority in order to give those who have been chronically homeless a real opportunity to find a safe place to call home and a new law to prohibit intimidating behavior during the course of a solicitation. 

First, the Council voted 5-4 in favor of the aggressive solicitation ordinance that creates a civil infraction for intimidating behavior that causes fear or the compulsion to give while soliciting.  The penalty:  a $50 fine or community service.  Read my statement delivered yesterday in support of this legislation: Download 2010 04 19 CM Burgess Remarks on Solicitation. Mayor McGinn has said that he will veto this ordinance. 

Second, the Council adopted the Administration and Finance Plan that will guide use of the 2009 voter-approved housing levy monies.  The Council voted (9-0) to give priority to so-called “housing first” units, mostly single occupancy apartments for the chronically homeless with support services in the same facility.  The key language reads, “A Housing First model has demonstrated success in Seattle and nationally.  These programs provide housing and intensive services for people with disabilities who have long or repeated histories of homelessness, and for people who are high utilizers of public health and justice systems.  Housing First also saves significant public costs such as for emergency services.  Projects using this model will be prioritized so that those most in need are served and system-wide cost savings can be achieved.”  (Emphasis added.)

Third, earlier this month, the police department began additional foot patrols downtown.  Police commanders have developed a three-part pilot project to measure the effectiveness of these patrols.  A key component of their strategy is to measure neighborhood reaction to the patrols, including what residents and business owners want in terms of policing. 

The final two elements of my plan include a call to continue the five-year strategic police hiring plan and better coordinated and enhanced outreach services to those living on the street. 

The police hiring strategy calls for a net increase of 21 police officers per year from 2008-2012.  We’re in year three now.  This boosting of the police department’s overall size is essential for full implementation of the Neighborhood Policing Plan.

Finally, my plan would boost the effectiveness of our street outreach efforts which are designed to connect people with important social services.  The City just completed a review of our existing outreach efforts.  Read that review here: Download SLI 41-1-A-1 Outreach and Engagement to Homeless.   There are several recommendations included in the review that would make our outreach efforts more effective and the Human Services Department is preparing a list of next steps.

The conditions on our streets demand our continued attention.  From the beginning, this effort has been designed to combine effective and purposeful use of our police officers with the necessary human services to help those most in need.  We will continue in these efforts.