The World Cup is coming to Seattle, so they had to find a place to tuck all the homeless away.
Mayor Katie Wilson announced a bold plan to open 500 new emergency shelter units to hide the homeless before the city hosts World Cup matches, but they've only put up 75 and the tournament starts this week!
These cozy 70-square-foot pallet units are ready for action, so homeless people, get out of public places and into these homes so nobody sees you.
(You can go back to throwing feces and needles on the street in a few weeks.)
Mayor Wilson, showing the kind of leadership that has made Seattle a national punchline, told KOMO News:
We're not going to get 500 by the World Cup, but we always knew that was an ambitious goal. I think we were really successful in lighting that fire that got everyone moving.
"A" for effort, Mayor Wilson.
"A" for effort.
As one advocate from We Heart Seattle pointed out, without mandatory treatment for mental health and substance abuse, people are just going to cycle right back out to the streets.
But that would require acknowledging that "housing first" has been a catastrophic failure despite hundreds of millions spent to stop homelessness.
Anyway, enjoy this brief moment of peace and quiet, Seattle.
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