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King County councilmember warns homelessness rose sharply, defends keeping juvenile jail open
Summary
At an April 15 Newcastle City Council meeting, King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn summarized county data showing a rise in homelessness, outlined proposed budget cuts, and said the council voted unanimously to keep the county juvenile detention center open.
King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn told the Newcastle City Council on April 15 that homelessness in King County rose from about 11,000 to 16,000 people over roughly four years and that the county faces a roughly $150 million general-fund shortfall.
Dunn, who represents District 9, used the council’s meeting to outline recent county policy actions and survey data, describe public-safety and behavioral-health initiatives, and answer city council questions about local impacts and grant opportunities.
Dunn said the increase in homelessness, citing federal HUD data, shows Washington and Oregon were outliers in a national comparison of year‑to‑year changes. "We better start figuring out solutions to this," he said, urging local governments to expand housing and treatment capacity.
Dunn summarized several county actions and proposals. He said the county enacted a new Harborview Hospital tax last year to support operations and public-health clinics after an earlier bond and…
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