September 6, 2016 Seattle City Council 600 4th Ave. 2nd Floor Seattle, WA, 98104 Dear Honorable Seattle City Councilmembers, We understand that a proposed ordinance regarding homeless encampments in the City of Seattle and their cleanup will be moving through Council on an expedited timeline. We have serious concerns about the proposal in its current state and request that the council take the time to proceed thoughtfully. We must act compassionater to help Seattle?s unsheltered residents, and being compassionate is about creating safe and healthy living places where everyone can grow and succeed. This proposed ordinance would take away the city?s ability to effectively address critical safety and public health issues in encampments and will have an impact on the economic activity in our neighborhoods. The ordinance also ties the City?s hands when it comes to addressing health and safety issues resulting from encampments in our public spaces, including city parks. All our neighborhoods have parks that are meaningful to us. It is imperative that we keep those spaces clean and safe so everyone in our communities can continue to thrive. Finally, the costs associated with enforcing the proposed ordinance are enormous. The ordinance calls for a wide variety of city resources: sustained intensive outreach, storing and safeguarding personal property, as well as sanitation and garbage services. The city is already running on limited resources and we must make sure the measures we adopt are well?coordinated and align with best practices for aiding unsheltered residents. We don?t know yet how the elements of the proposed ordinance align?or not?with best practices, including those identified in the forthcoming report and recommendations that the City has commissioned. Seattle is facing a crisis as more and more people are sleeping outside every year. City leaders have taken a number of positive steps forward to make sure that we treat people and neighborhoods with dignity and respect. The Mayor and Councilmember Bagshaw have convened an Encampment Cleanup Protocol Task Force that includes many community groups, and establishes new interim guidelines for cleaning up encampments. We need to amp up our efforts, and these are steps in the right direction. We hope that you will take these points into consideration. Let?s ensure that the City?s regulations around encampments reflect a compassionate approach that keeps all of Seattle?s residents safe and healthy. Thank you for your time, Leslie Smith Rod Kauffman Executive Director President Alliance for Pioneer Square Pioneer Square BOMA Seattle King County Business Improvement Area Jessa Timmer Jon Scholes Executive Director President CEO Chinatown International District Downtown Seattle Association Business Improvement Area lof2 Dr. Anthony Ogilvie Executive Director Filipino Chamber of Commerce Charley Shore Executive Director Greater Queen Anne Chamber of Commerce Joana Chong Executive Director Korean American Chamber of Commerce WA State Fernando Martinez President CEO NW Minority Supplier Development Council Michael President Seattle Area Hospitality Association Maud Daudon President CEO Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Tom Norwalk President CEO Seattle Tourism Improvement Area Danah Abarr Executive Director South Lake Union Chamber of Commerce Tom Norwalk President CEO Visit Seattle Jeff Blosser President CEO Washington State Convention Center David Leong President Greater Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce Louise Chernin President CEO Greater Seattle Business Association Greg Carnese Executive Director Magnolia Chamber of Commerce Eugene Wasserman President North Seattle Industrial Association Jenne Neptune President Seattle Hotel Association Thatcher Bailey Executive Director Seattle Parks Foundation Erin Goodman Executive Director SODO Business Improvement Area Elizabeth McCoury President and CEO District Partnership Stephen Fickenscher Executive Director Wallingford Chamber of Commerce 20f2