Mayor Katie B. Wilson announced two executive orders at her transition team meeting this morning: one which will accelerate the expansion of emergency shelter and affordable housing, and other which will establish a bus lane along Denny Way.
“Today I am taking immediate action to address our homelessness crisis and improve mobility on a key transit corridor,” said Mayor Katie B. Wilson. “First, I am ordering immediate steps to expand emergency shelter and expedite the construction of affordable housing so we can bring more people inside. I am also directing the Department of Transportation to immediately take steps to implement a bus lane and other transit improvements on Denny Way.”
Accelerating the Expansion of Emergency Shelter and Affordable Housing
Mayor Wilson is ordering immediate action to bring people inside by expediting the expansion of shelter and affordable housing.
Her executive order to accelerate the expansion of emergency shelter and affordable housing will:
- Rapidly expand and expedite the provision of new shelter and affordable housing by immediately launching an interdepartmental team to identify options for financial incentives, permitting changes, and other policy changes.
- Identify and prioritize city-owned public land and other public lands which could be used to temporarily or permanently site new emergency shelter and housing.
- Coordinate with regional partners to identify shelter programs that have capacity to add units to existing programs.
- Identify best practices working with organizations with expertise in behavioral health to support substance use disorder treatment and mental health counseling for housing and shelter programs.
The mayor’s executive order accelerating the expansion of emergency shelter and affordable housing is available here.
Accelerating Transit on Denny Way
The mayor is directing the Seattle Department of Transportation to implement a bus lane and other transit improvements on Denny Way.
Her executive order to accelerate transit will:
- Increase on-time performance and reliability for existing transit riders
- Support irresistibly good transit service that grows ridership along this vital corridor.
The mayor’s Executive Order accelerating transit on Denny Way is available here.
What people are saying about the Executive Order to accelerate shelter and housing
Tanya Kim, Seattle Human Services Department Director
“Every Seattle resident should have safety, dignity, and stability. Mayor Wilson’s executive order is meeting the urgency of the moment by accelerating the continuum of housing supports from shelter to affordable housing to quickly bring people indoors. The Human Services Department is ready to partner with city and regional stakeholders to rapidly expand shelter and behavioral health supports to meet community needs.”
Seattle City Council Member Dionne Foster, Position 9
“Our homelessness crisis has taken too many lives and fractured too many communities, and no single agency or jurisdiction can solve it alone. This moment demands sustained, coordinated action between the City, King County, service providers, and community partners. All working together with urgency to bring people inside, expand housing, and prevent further loss of life.
I appreciate this swift action and expedient timeline laid out in the Mayor’s Executive Order and look forward to collaborating with Mayor Wilson to make it easier to site shelter, issue permits, and make structural changes to bring people inside faster.
This Executive Order will help ensure we are using all the levers available to expand shelter capacity and lower housing costs in our city.”
Chloe Gale, MSW, VP Policy and Strategy, Evergreen Treatment Services/REACH Program
“Evergreen Treatment Services strongly supports Mayor Wilson’s actions to rapidly expand shelter and housing in Seattle, particularly places that connect people to behavioral health care. As a leading provider of street outreach and opioid treatment services, we know that most people living outside with substance use problems want to access recovery support but cannot navigate system requirements when struggling to survive night after night. Linking our homeless programs and treatment systems directly will create the stability and care needed to save the lives of community members on our streets.”
Patience Malaba, Executive Director, Housing Development Consortium
“Mayor Wilson’s affirmation that the City must accelerate affordable housing production is crucial. This is an important first step toward making housing the City’s North Star; aligning key departments, prioritizing funding, and streamlining permitting and procedures so we can respond with urgency to the housing shortage.”
Dr. Kelly Kinnison, CEO, King County Regional Homelessness Authority
“Expanding emergency shelter at the scale of the homelessness crisis requires close coordination across city and county partners and a willingness to prioritize people over bureaucracy. Mayor Wilson’s leadership reflects a clear commitment to removing unnecessary barriers so we can deliver more shelter quickly and safely. Locating appropriate spaces for shelters is a significant obstacle to rapidly opening new shelter locations. Every action we take to expedite those steps makes a difference.”
Alison Eisinger, Executive Director, Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness
“It’s heartening to see Mayor Wilson take early action to encourage and facilitate more housing, more shelter, and more care for Seattle residents. Scaling up to meet our community’s needs will require lots of work, skill, collaboration, and money – but maybe it doesn’t have to take a long time. Streamlining bureaucratic processes and timelines is a necessary and important first step.”
What people are saying about the Executive Order to accelerate transit
Angela Brady, PE, Interim SDOT Director
“We’re eager to take this step toward enhancing the reliability and efficiency for the thousands of transit riders counting on Route 8 along Denny Way every day. Our team is fully committed to Mayor Wilson’s vision of supporting world-class transit in Seattle and to engaging with the community as we advance this important project.”
Seattle City Council Member Alexis Mercedes Rinck, Position 8
“Buses are the backbone of Seattle’s transportation system. When transit works, Seattle works. When buses are reliable, people get to work on time, kids get to school, seniors get to appointments, families get to spend time together.
The 8 is a critical crosstown connection and this action will let Seattle see real solutions which will improve the daily lives of working families. I hope with these improvements, the 8 will lose its infamous nickname. This is why my office started the Better Bus Lanes campaign, but this is about more than better bus lanes. This is about the city we’re building together.”
Kirk Hovenkotter, Executive Director, Transportation Choices Coalition
“Our long transit nightmare is about to end. Riders of the late 8 have been begging for a bus lane for decades. Mayor Wilson has stepped up and answered their call for fast, reliable buses with this executive order.”
Nick Sattele and Jason Li, co-leads, Fix The L8
“Transit riders have been forced to sit through traffic on Seattle’s slowest and least reliable bus for decades. Finally we have a mayor willing to prioritize mobility and the climate to improve our transit system and give Seattleites the freedom of mobility they deserve. Roll out the red carpet!”