SEATTLE, Wash. — Seattle mayor opens new homeless shelter - but believes it's not the final answer
A new homeless shelter opens in Seattle tonight, just in time for more cold weather.
This comes as the city prepares to spend an additional $5 million to help those who are homeless.
The new shelter is at the old city light operations bunker at Warren and Roy streets on Queen Anne Hill.
Floor mats will accommodate 50 men tonight, bunk beds will add 50 more next week.
The facility has a bathroom that even includes showers.
The $442,000 to operate it will come from the current homeless budget.
But it will open only to men who are over 60 or disabled.
"When faced with the need to prioritize people because there aren't enough spaces for everybody, we are seeking people who are more vulnerable if they are outside than others," said Daniel Malone, executive director of the Downtown Emergency Services Center, which will operate the shelter.
Seattle already spends $40 million a year on homeless programs, ranking No. 3 in the country. The $5 million is a one-time emergency fund on top of that.
The shelter will do little to eliminate the impromptu homeless encampments popping up across the city-- and the garbage and human waste that come with them.
Asked why the city just doesn't crack down, Mayor Murray responded, "Where are we going to put these people? We have people, what are we going to do, arrest them just because they are addicted to drugs and they are mentally ill? The only way we are going to end this is by getting people into stabilized housing."
Here's how the mayor plans to use the additional $5 million in emergency money just passed by the City Council.:
-$2.7 million will be spent on preventing problems, such as offering rental and utility assistance, support for homeless school children and providing portable bathrooms and dumpsters.
-$1.8 million will go to mental health, including outreach teams and a new mobile van.
-$900,000 will go to providing 100 additional shelter beds.
While covering this story, I was reminded of how difficult it can be to get the homeless off the street. I met a man who didn't want to be on television, but he told me he knew this new shelter was opening and knew he was old enough to qualify. He then showed me a new sleeping bag a friend had given him and said he will be spending another cold night in a favorite alley.
KIRO
