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DECEMBER 11, 2024
VOL. 105, NO. 50
& QueenAnne&Magnolia news
GRAND TREE LIGHTING
QueenAnne
Magnolia news
PHOTO BY LAURA MARIE RIVERA
The annual Grand Tree Lighting took place in Queen Anne on Friday night. Hosted by the Queen Anne Chamber of Commerce, this evening of holiday magic included holiday lights, carols from Seattle SeaChordsmen (and women), local shopping, and treats from Trader Joe’s, Starbucks, and Big Max. City Councilmember Bob Kettle led the crowd in a round of “Jingle Bells” and Seattle’s Deputy Mayor Greg Wong announced how much he loves Queen Anne and local neighborhood celebrations. And the highlight of the evening was the Chamber President Susan Short welcoming Max Chandrasekaran (age 13) as an official Youth Ambassador. He said: “I’m excited to be helping the Chamber in any way they need... Coming together in one community gathering is always something special and I hope we can continue that here in Queen Anne.”
Seattle counted 63% fewer homeless tents in September than at end of 2023 By Spencer Pauley The Center Square
Seattle’s latest quarterly count of homeless encampments reveals a significant drop in homeless tents in the city since the end of 2023. Seattle’s Unified Care Team counted 193 documented tents throughout the city in September. The latest count represents a 63% decrease from 523 tents counted at the end of 2023. This is now the fourth consecutive quarter where the citywide tent count has decreased. The Unified Care Team also counts the number of RVs at homeless encampment sites. The most recent count
found 115 RVs in September, 49.3% down from the 227 counted at the end of last year. The city’s count of homeless people has consistently dropped since the Unified Care Team launched in 2022. Callie Craighead, press secretary for Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, notes that the downward trend stayed consistent even during the warmer months, when homeless people tend to choose to live outside. “The quarter three updates to the Homelessness Action Plan show that the Unified Care Team is making progress to bring people indoors and keep public spaces clean, open, and accessible to all,” Craighead emailed The
Center Square. The latest count contradicts data showing a worsening homeless crisis hitting the King County region. According to the latest federally required unsheltered and sheltered point-in-time count conducted in January, there were 16,385 people experiencing homelessness in King County. That is a 22.6% increase from the previous count in 2022. The Seattle Unified Care Team is a coordinating hub for city departments and partner agencies like the King County Regional Homelessness Authority to ensure public spaces,
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