Andrew on the Issues

Homelessness in Seattle / A Roof for Everyone: I’m still educating myself on this one. From what I understand, a few factors are at play. 

r. The median price of a 1-bedroom home in Seattle is about $417,000. The typical rent is between $1,900 and $2,200 per month for a 1-bedroom unit (mine rents for $1,800 plus $275 for parking). Given these figures, households in Seattle with the lowest incomes are facing a proposition of spending all of their income just on rent. What’s my solution to this income inequality? A higher minimum wage, strong social safety nets, increased vocational opportunity, a more progressive tax system, and combating discrimination are all on my agenda.

Second, substance abuse and mental health conditions are prevalent. One part of the issue is that there’s a bottleneck. Our first responders can refer people to various programs. However, these programs usually have little capacity, in terms of beds or counseling availability. My approach, logically, would be to support these programs and increase the availability of inpatient rehabilitation beds and counseling services. The substances on our streets are stronger than ever and manufactured cheaper than ever. The substance market is inundated with a large supply of inexpensive substances. It starts to sound like a chicken-and-egg issue. Does substance abuse cause homelessness? Does homelessness cause substance abuse? It’s probably both. Regardless, my approach is to support law enforcement, to support rehabilitation, and to support counseling services. When our police officers make contact with someone experiencing substance abuse or mental health conditions, I want their focus to be, “How do we most effectively rehabilitate this person?”

Lastly, the playing field isn ‘t equal. Black people in Seattle are more likely than white people to experience discrimination when they apply for housing. People with high amounts of debt also face significant challenges when renting. People with a criminal background experience more adversity in accessing housing. Just because someone is black, lower income, or has a conviction doesn’t mean we shouldn’t promote their housing as much as we promote ours. As our neighborhoods start to gentrify, we need to be supporting everyone. If our system only promotes housing for those who are high income, white, and conviction-free, is our system really working?

Criminal Justice Reform / Keeping our Community Whole: The King County Jail in Seattle needs a dramatic increase in case management employees who support those who are released. With a dramatic increase in case management employees, we can support releasees with access to housing, healthcare, and employment. We can’t just lock people up, release them, and then consider them fully rehabilitated. Jails usually focus on control and confinement versus personal development. Educational and vocational programs are usually limited and without much money. Combined with an environment that is usually dehumanizing, violent, and stressful, I’m not surprised that we see so much recidivism. My focus for the King County Jail would be on expanding access to employment, educational services, housing, and mental health services. I’m also a big fan of restorative justice. Restorative justice is a system that focuses on repairing harm by bringing together the person who caused it, the person affected, and the community to promote accountability, healing, and making things right. In fact, by locking people up, we’re actually keeping them from working and contributing to our economy.

Economic Development / Promoting Small Businesses:

Transportation / Promoting Best Practices:

Climate Change / Protecting the Environment:

Supporting the Community / Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI):