Image of the Plymouth Housing building in Bellevue.
"Neighbors, thank you for reaching out to Redmond City Council regarding the recent Plymouth Housing decision to permanently house homeless and low income residents in downtown Redmond. I am responding as the Ombuds for the month of February.
Council and the Planning Commission spent many months studying data and developing code around Permanent Supportive Housing in 2021 and 2022 with community concerns and feedback being taken into consideration all along the way.
- Plymouth Housing is not a homeless shelter, it is a downtown six-story supportive housing home.
- To qualify for a home at this location one must:
- The applicants must be single adults exiting homelessness and living on extremely low incomes. Many of these individuals are seniors, veterans, and/or people living with disabilities.
- Residents will earn less than $28,000/ year.
- Residents will not be a lifetime registered sex offender (all state laws regarding sex offenders registration notification are applicable)
- Residents will not have certain drug-related convictions.
- Tenants are required to apply, be screened and selected for approval, sign a lease and abide by it just like anyone else entering into a lease
- Per our regulations, Plymouth Housing only allows up to 100 housing units. This regulation was in direct response to community concerns that Plymouth Housing is able to adequately provide services for those exiting homelessness and low-income residents.
- Plymouth Housing is not a safe injection or safe consumption site.
- To quote Redmond Police Chief Lowe “Illegal things are still illegal."
- Plymouth Housing will enter into an Operational Agreement with the City which includes:
- Performance expectations and oversite of the Plymouth Housing Operator
- Rules and Code of Conduct
- Safety and Security Plan
- Neighborhood Relations and Community Engagement.
In the development of these plans, Plymouth Housing and their CEO will seek participants and host community stakeholder groups. The Council will be consulted on the final plans / agreements as required.
The City completed a Housing Needs Assessment which you can read here: https://www.redmond.gov/
Signed,
Council V.P. Jessica Forsythe
[see comments]
Plymouth Housing will get it's residents from the King County Regional Homelessness Authority through the Continuum of Care process which is part of the King County Regional Homelessness independent agency. Plymouth Housing has contracts with the Ombudsman Office of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority. So, the City of Redmond will not have a say as to who will be housed by Plymouth Housing. Also, a person cannot apply to live at Plymouth Housing.
ReplyDeleteIn a recent interview on City Seattle, Karen Bell, the current CEO of Plymouth Housing stated that the purpose of Harm Reduction is to help people live another day.
Redmond is geographically a small city with many public schools. When the KCRHA purchased the former Silver Cloud Inn for the homeless, they did not take into consideration all the public schools it is surrounded by in Bellevue at that location.
The City of Redmond had the opportunity to take into consideration the location of Redmond Elementary School and Anderson Park in making this decision. They did not.
Young children are our most vulnerable population. Providing a safe environment for them to explore their world is essential for healthy development as their minds slowly open like a flower. Safe parks where children can play outside is a part of childhood.
But in today's world, drug addicts litter parks with their outdoor drug use out in the open. Creating a creepy environment that keeps the rest of us away. They have no shame. Parents are then forced to leave what could have been an enjoyable day at the park and go home.
Redmond should reconsider their decision and try to find a location away from parks and schools.
Something to think about about in the connections between the Homeless Hotel and our representatives. https://patch.com/washington/redmond/councilmembers-fields-anderson-should-avoid-safe-eastside
ReplyDeleteJan Yeo...your first paragraph about "the continuum of care process" is very interesting. However, Carol Lee is the current CEO of Plymouth Housing, not Karen Bell.
ReplyDelete