City Council Member Mike O&amp;#039;Brien bows out: &amp;#039;To the chagrin of some, we changed the rules&amp;#039;

Real Change

Washington legislature strips bill of provisions to help Black and Indigenous families in poverty

by Ashley Archibald | March 20th, 2019

State lawmakers have stripped a bill of key provisions that could help Black and Indigenous families stay on a government program that provides benefits to families in poverty.

House Bill 1603 would have made it easier for families to stay on the program past its current five-year limit, preventing those who rely on the program from being cut off from benefits when they still need them.
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Hundreds gather to unite with our Muslim neighbors

by Ashley Archibald | March 20th, 2019

On Friday, March 15, a White supremacist entered two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand and opened fire. By the time the attack ended, 50 people were dead.

It was an act of terrorism designed to go viral. The 28-year-old Australian live-streamed his act of barbarism. He peppered the written manifesto with references to internet culture. Photos from his court appearance show him making the “OK” symbol with his hand, a once-innocent gesture that has been coopted by White supremacists to signal “White power.”
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Residents of homeless encampment clash with nonprofit over self-management

by Ashley Archibald | March 13th, 2019

Grassroots homeless encampment operator Nickelsville and their sponsor, the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI), are at odds over a new agreement that Nickelsville says would end a tradition of self-management and autonomy in their encampments.
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Supreme Court ruling could boost the case of a homeless man who sued the city for towing his truck

by Ashley Archibald | March 13th, 2019

Attorneys for a homeless man in Seattle believe a new Supreme Court ruling could help him and future plaintiffs fight the impounding of their vehicles and other civil cases against the city of Seattle.

Steven Long’s truck was impounded by the city in 2016 while he was living on the street. His lawyers say the court’s ruling in Timbs v. Indiana means the Eighth Amendment protections against excessive fines apply to Long’s case and cases like his.
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Anti-trafficking campaigns miss the mark, sex workers say

by Ashley Archibald | March 6th, 2019

Midway through January, Human Trafficking Awareness Month, officials from the county, public transit and the Port of Seattle gathered at Sea-Tac International Airport to announce the first coordinated campaign to combat the exploitation of vulnerable people for labor and sex in six years.

The effort involved putting up awareness signs in airports, buses, government buildings and libraries throughout King County that read “Help Stop Human Trafficking” in seven different languages.
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Jay Inslee’s impact: Mixed results on homelessness on the presidential hopeful’s watch

by Ashley Archibald | March 6th, 2019

It wasn’t so much a question of “if” but “when” Washington Governor Jay Inslee would announce his candidacy for president.

Those reading the tea leaves looked at Inslee’s air travel, his growing public profile and his exploratory committee for clues, but the governor made it official at A&R Solar on Friday, March 1.

In his announcement, Inslee staked out a claim on the issue of climate change, something that none of the other Democratic challengers have so far done.
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Study: Youth moving from mental health treatment to homelessness

by Ashley Archibald | February 27th, 2019

Data from a new report suggests many young people are moving from state-funded inpatient mental health care into homelessness or unstable housing, shining a light on gaps between systems that are supposed to care for and stabilize Washington’s youth.
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Real Change

Snow storm drives many inside — and into services

by Ashley Archibald | February 20th, 2019

Hundreds of people experiencing homelessness used severe weather shelters to escape the winter storm that blanketed western Washington in snow and ice in the early weeks of February.

Some, like Stephen Johnson, typically avoid shelters. They’re too noisy, Johnson said. People talk in their sleep and snore. He made the choice to go indoors after finding his tent caved in under the weight of the snow. “It was too cold to stay outside,” Johnson said.
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Will the Seattle City Council take action to protect seniors living in affordable mobile home parks? The clock is ticking

by Ashley Archibald | February 20th, 2019

When Eloise Mickelsen moved to Halcyon Mobile Home Park 16 years ago, she did so with the understanding that the park wouldn’t be sold.

The previous owner meant for Halcyon to remain a mobile home park for seniors, Mickelsen said.

But manufactured home ownership comes with risks. A household might spend thousands on a manufactured home, placed on land they don’t own, only to see their investment evaporate in the face of a lucrative offer from a developer.

Mickelsen lived in Halcyon for 16 years before the notice of a potential sale came to her door.
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Real Change

City Council Member Mike O'Brien bows out: 'To the chagrin of some, we changed the rules'

by Ashley Archibald | February 19th, 2019

Council Member Mike O’Brien doesn’t think of himself as a divisive figure. The three-term council member won his
District 6 seat in 2015 by a nearly 23-point margin, and his brand of affable, bike-riding, fossil-fuel-protesting progressive politics is almost stereotypically Seattle.
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