Under Mayor Bruce Harrell’s administration, the visibility of homelessness in Seattle appears to have diminished, with fewer tents occupying the streets and parks compared to previous years.
However, a closer examination reveals that this reduction is largely cosmetic, obscuring a deeper and more troubling reality at play.
Seattle Times reporter Greg Kim recently provided a stark assessment of the situation, highlighting that the decline in visible homelessness does not equate to effective solutions for those suffering on the streets.
According to Kim’s reporting, the city has ramped up its encampment removals—commonly referred to as sweeps—reaching record levels.
In 2024 alone, Seattle conducted 2,505 sweeps, a significant increase from 800 in 2022.
While this strategy has yielded some visible results, with fewer tents in public spaces, it masks the grim truth that the number of unsheltered individuals continues to rise.
Recent statistics reveal that approximately 10,000 people, accounting for 57% of King County’s total homeless population, are currently living unsheltered.
This figure starkly contrasts with other major cities, as Seattle has twice as many people unsheltered as New York City and significantly more than Chicago and Philadelphia.
Based on data from the annual Point in Time Count, it is estimated that around 7,000 individuals in this vulnerable situation are located within Seattle itself.
As encampment sweeps increase, many homeless individuals are forced to retreat to more concealed locations to evade removal from public spaces.
Kim notes that some are now hiding deeper in local woods, while others are taking shelter in alleyways or doorways, often at risk from violence and adverse weather conditions.
Within the existing shelter system, conditions are equally dire, with occupancy rates remaining consistently high.
Reports indicate that at any given time, about 95% of available shelter beds in the city are filled, with only a small number of vacancies arising due to turnover.
Moreover, each year of Harrell’s tenure has seen a loss of shelter beds—a clear sign that the city is not effectively addressing the urgent needs of its homeless population.
Critics argue that Harrell’s administration has opted to prioritize an approach focused on making the lives of the unsheltered more difficult rather than investing resources into providing sustainable housing solutions.
This strategy raises significant ethical questions about Mayor Harrell’s promises of compassion for homeless individuals, and whether his actions reflect a genuine intent to improve their circumstances.
As the city’s homelessness crisis deepens, it appears that Harrell is banking on a political strategy that assumes voters will be indifferent so long as the issue is hidden from public view.
This perspective invites the community to reflect on their stance towards the homeless population and calls for an examination of what true compassion looks like in addressing their needs.
In light of these revelations, it is crucial for Seattle’s citizens to voice their concerns and advocate for meaningful change that prioritizes humanity and compassion over visibility and containment.
image source from：https://www.theurbanist.org/2025/04/24/op-ed-harrells-record-on-homelessness-is-cynical-cruel-and-cosmetic/
