Introduction
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Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson announced her first two executive orders to expedite shelter and housing expansion and improve traffic on Denny Way.
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One order addresses homelessness through rapid rehousing of shelters and affordable housing, while another calls for new bus lanes to improve Route 8 reliability.
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City departments have until April 17 to provide a transportation schedule and budget as officials say more action is coming.
seattle – Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson announced her first two executive orders on Thursday aimed at helping the homeless and improving public transportation.
The orders are intended to accelerate the expansion of emergency shelters and affordable housing and add a bus lane along Denny Road, one of the city’s busiest corridors.
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Mayor Wilson said most homeless people need help, but there are not enough options to suit everyone.
“We don’t have enough shelter, housing and services,” Wilson said. “The vast majority of our neighbors sleeping rough need help.”
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson announced her first two executive orders since taking office, focusing on sheltering the homeless and improving public transportation.
Wilson said her plan is to work with multiple local organizations to identify city-owned public lands and other areas that could be used for emergency shelter and housing.
“With the World Cup coming up this spring, we’re going to be moving quickly to get more people in,” Wilson said.
The mayor said it will be an aggressive push that will rely on community support.
Dig deeper
A second executive order directs the Seattle Department of Transportation to implement at least one bus lane and other traffic improvements along Denny Road.
Wilson said the goal is to significantly improve reliability and on-time performance for Route 8 and other transit riders on the corridor.
“I know what it’s like to wait for the bus, to be 30 or 40 minutes late. I know what it’s like to be on the bus, knowing that you can walk up a hill faster than the bus can go – so now is the time for us to provide quality public transportation for our residents and our workers.”
SDOT has been given until April 17 to return a timeline, budget and implementation plan, as well as recommendations for additional high-impact transit corridors.
City leaders and advocacy groups applauded the moves, calling them emergency measures to keep people indoors and provide faster, more reliable transportation.
“Our homelessness crisis has claimed too many lives and fragmented too many communities, and no one agency or jurisdiction can solve the problem alone. This moment requires sustained, coordinated action between the city, King County, service providers and community partners. All parties urgently work together to get people into homes, expand housing, and prevent further loss of life,” said Seattle City Council Member Dionne Foster. “I applaud this quick action and expedient timeline set out in the Mayor’s executive order and look forward to working with Mayor Wilson to make it easier to place shelters, issue permits and make structural changes to get people into shelters more quickly. This executive order will help ensure we use all available tools to expand shelter capacity and reduce housing costs in our city.”
Wilson said the two orders mark the beginning of a broader effort to address homelessness and make transportation in Seattle “irresistibly good.”
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source
The information in this article comes from the office of Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson.