Nickelsville axed from management at three tiny house villages

Real Change

When the subduction zone quake finally happens, it may take decades to recover. But will there be equity in the rebuilding process?

by Ashley Archibald | April 17th, 2019

When Kirsten Harris-Talley’s house was built in 1902, there wasn’t much in the way of greenery. Old photos in the public record — dating back to the 1950s or ’60s, judging by the arrow-straight frame and bulb of a cab of the Oldsmobile parked out front — show a medium-sized tree polking out of stage left from behind the house, like a teenager attempting to fade into obscurity in a group photo.
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Reporter's Notebook: Trump v. Durkan, a crowded city council race

by Ashley Archibald | April 17th, 2019

Sanctuary

President Donald Trump used his Twitter account Friday to call for all undocumented immigrants to be sent to “sanctuary cities” like Seattle, contradicting statements by his own administration made just the day before.
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Real Change

What happened to the comment section?

by Real Change Newsroom | April 17th, 2019

In the last month we received a number of vile comments on our articles. They were not productive and didn't advance the conversation. We understand readers have strong opinions about the various issues we cover but the last thing we want is for our website to become a platform for abuse, the advancement of harmful stereotypes and attacks on marginalized populations.

As we reevaluate next steps we have removed all of the comments from our website.
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Real Change

Nonprofit stands to lose $1.5 million as city drags on property transfer

by Ashley Archibald | April 10th, 2019

Byrd Barr Place has a problem.

The nonprofit organization that fights against gentrification and displacement in the Central Area operates out of a building owned by the city of Seattle that was constructed in 1908. Byrd Barr Place wants to make much-needed — and expensive — seismic upgrades, and even has a state appropriation to do so.
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Real Change

Appeals court finds criminalizing homelessness unconstitutional

by Ashley Archibald | April 10th, 2019

Local governments will have a harder time forcing homeless people out of public spaces after a ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found that government cannot criminalize homeless people for surviving in public without providing alternative places for them to go.
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Seattle cathedral provides sanctuary to man facing deportation

by Ashley Archibald | April 3rd, 2019

St. Marks becomes second church in Washington to take in an undocumented immigrant

A man facing deportation by the federal government has taken sanctuary at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, making him the second person to do so since faith communities in Seattle officially opened their doors to immigrants in 2017.

Taking sanctuary will afford Jaime Rubio Sulficio, a Mexican citizen, some measure of protection from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ice), an agency that deports undocumented immigrants. ice avoids picking people up in “sensitive locations” including schools, hospitals and places of worship, said spokesperson Tanya Roman.
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Homeless outreach workers returning to Broadway corridor

by Justin Carder | April 3rd, 2019

A three-neighborhood plan that will bring homeless outreach services back to Broadway in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood will kick off this month.
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Lawmakers hear from experts after KOMO special

by Ashley Archibald | April 3rd, 2019

After the KOMO special “Seattle is Dying” — a one-hour, lurid portrayal of homelessness and drug addiction in the Emerald City — hit the airwaves on March 13, Washington state Senate Republicans called a press conference.

Opening remarks at the press conference from State Sen. Hans Zeiger (R-Puyallup), ranking member of the Homelessness, Affordable Housing and Mental Health Committee, reflected the program’s tone and language.
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Seattle choir travels to the border to support immigrants and refugees

by Martha Baskin | April 3rd, 2019

In “Music Crosses Borders,” a group of Seattle choir-singers, known as the Seattle Peace Chorus, traveled to the frontlines of the southern border this year, sketching a constellation of north stars to guide migrants in their journey to safety.

Under the Trump administration, many immigrants and refugees are forced to wait in Mexico for their asylum claims to be heard in court.
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Nickelsville axed from management at three tiny house villages

by Ashley Archibald | March 27th, 2019

Nickelsville, a self-managed encampment community, and the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) are squaring off over the future of three tiny house villages that the organizations ran together over a three-year partnership.
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