CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
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AN ORDINANCE relating to homelessness in the City of Seattle; finding that a risk to public health and safety exists in the City of Seattle; authorizing the loan of funds from the City’s Consolidated (Residual) Cash Pool, or its participating funds, in the amount of $5,000,000 into the General Subfund; providing for the repayment of said loan; and amending Ordinance 124648, which adopted the 2015 Budget, changing appropriations to various departments and budget control levels, and from various funds in the Budget; all by a 3/4 vote of the City Council.
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WHEREAS, the City of Seattle, like many other cities across the United States, is facing a homelessness crisis; and
WHEREAS, the region’s shelter bed capacity outweighs the increased demand, leaving too many seniors, families, and individuals sleeping on the streets; and
WHEREAS, the City’s Human Services Department invests nearly $43,000,000 annually to assist single adults, youth and young adults, families, survivors of domestic violence, older adults, and veterans who are currently at-risk of or experiencing homelessness; and
WHEREAS, the City has undertaken numerous efforts to address the homelessness crisis, including creating an Emergency Task Force on Unsheltered Homelessness, developing a Homelessness Investment Analysis, completing the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda, converting a City-owned building on Roy Street into an emergency shelter, supporting Mary’s Place with temporary shelter capacity in a City-owned building, and authorizing legal encampments on City and private property; and
WHEREAS, despite these continued and enhanced efforts, the number of homeless in the city and the region continues to climb; and
WHEREAS, the 2015 One Night Count found that 3,772 individuals were living outside and unsheltered in King County, representing a 21 percent increase from the 2014 count; and
WHEREAS, the continued increase in homelessness has resulted in a public health and safety crisis given the strain on police, fire, public health and human services resources; and
WHEREAS, the City Council and the Mayor intend to increase resources in Finance General Reserves that will be used by the Human Services Department to fund homelessness prevention and intervention; and
WHEREAS, there is sufficient cash in the City’s Consolidated (Residual) Cash Pool or its participating funds to support an interfund loan of up to $5,000,000 to homelessness prevention efforts until the sale of surplus real property at the Joint Training Facility Project at 9401 Myers Way South (“Myers Way Property”); and
WHEREAS, the proceeds from the sale of the Myers Way Property will first be used to pay off existing obligations relating to the Myers Way Property, and then be used to pay off the interfund loan authorized by this ordinance; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF SEATTLE AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The City Council finds that the increase in homelessness across the City of Seattle has created a public health and safety risk, as indicated by numerous 9-1-1 calls, police investigations of criminal activities, persons found in crisis, and the resulting strain on police, fire, public health, and human services resources. As such, the Mayor and City Council find that this ordinance is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety and believe that the City should act immediately by investing in homelessness prevention and intervention.
Section 2. The Director of Finance is authorized to make a loan of up to $5,000,000 principal and interest outstanding at any one time from the City’s Consolidated (Residual) Cash Pool or its participating funds to the General Subfund, to provide bridge financing for immediate homelessness prevention efforts. The loan is to be repaid after the sale of surplus property at the Joint Training Facility Project at 9401 Myers Way South (“Myers Way Property”), with interest on the loan at the rate of return of the City’s Consolidated (Residual) Cash Pool. The entire principal and interest amount of the loan drawn in advance of the sale of the Myers Way Property shall be repaid with proceeds remaining from the sale of the property in accordance with Section 4.
Section 3. The Director of Finance may effectuate the loan authorized in Section 2 by transferring cash from one or more funds participating in the City’s Consolidated (Residual) Cash Pool to the General Subfund, or by carrying the General Subfund in a negative cash position in an amount not to exceed $5,000,000 until the sale of the Myers Way Property. The Director of Finance is further authorized to establish, and modify if necessary from time to time, a repayment plan and schedule.
Section 4. Upon the sale of the Myers Way Property, the Director of Finance shall, at his or her discretion, use proceeds of the sale to satisfy any existing obligations relating to the Myers Way Property. Any remaining proceeds shall be used to first repay the interfund loan authorized by this ordinance.
Section 5. In order to pay for necessary costs and expenses incurred or to be incurred, but for which insufficient appropriations were made due to causes that could not reasonably have been foreseen at the time of making the 2015 budget, appropriations for the following items in the 2015 budget are increased from the funds shown, as follows:
|
Item |
Fund |
Department |
Budget Control Level |
Amount |
|
5.1 |
General Subfund (00100) |
Finance General |
Reserves (00100-2QD00) |
$ 5,000,000 |
|
5.2 |
Human Services Operating Fund (16200) |
Human Services Department |
Community Support and Assistance (16200-H30ET) |
$ 5,000,000 |
|
Total |
$ 5,000,000 |
Unspent funds so appropriated shall carry forward to subsequent fiscal years until they are exhausted or abandoned by ordinance.
Section 6. The Human Services Department shall use the funds appropriated in Section 5 for homelessness prevention and intervention, including, but not limited to, the following priorities:
a) Providing rental assistance, eviction prevention, rapid re-housing and diversion services;
b) Focusing on finding housing for those currently living unsheltered;
c) Adding shelter beds to the current stock, including addressing gaps in the current offerings;
d) Creating a multi-disciplinary outreach team (MDOT) to provide on-the-ground services focusing on people living unsheltered;
e) Helping people currently living in vehicles to find housing;
f) Creating and maintaining safe and healthy environments at authorized and unauthorized encampment sites; and
g) Collecting additional data to help inform decisions about where best to make future investments.
Section 7. This ordinance shall take effect and be in force immediately upon the signing of the ordinance by the Mayor, as provided by the Charter of the City.
Passed by a 3/4 vote of all the members of the City Council the ____ day ________________________, 2015, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its passage this _____ day of ___________________, 2015.
_________________________________
President __________of the City Council
Approved by me this ____ day of _____________________, 2015.
_________________________________
Edward B. Murray, Mayor
Filed by me this ____ day of __________________________, 2015.
____________________________________
Monica Martinez Simmons, City Clerk
(Seal)