On City Inside/Out Tonight: Seattle's Spreading Homelessness Problem

When we reported this morning on Nickelsville relocating, again, did it raise larger questions for you on the state of homelessness in Seattle? This week's City Inside/Out on the Seattle Channel, hosted by CR Douglas, is focusing on the expansion of Seattle's homeless outreach from downtown to other neighborhoods, including a visit to Ballard to examine their growing homeless population.

Panelists include those involved in homeless outreach--Bill Hobson of the Downtown Emergency Service Center, Rick Freidhoff of Compass Housing Alliance--but also include those representing businesses in areas strongly affected by homelessness. Faye Garneau from the Aurora Avenue Merchants Association, whose mission is to "advance all business and professional interest of the area under the democratic system of free, competitive enterprise" will be involved in the discussion, as well as Dave Jarrell of the Ballard Preservation Association, a group that fought the development of a Compass Housing Alliance facility in Ballard.

At stake with Seattle's citywide, not downtown-exclusive homelessness problem: are groups fighting homeless outreach simply bringing up NIMBY rhetoric, or are their concerns for their neighborhood genuine? Why is this spread away from downtown happening? And, finally, can those who provide aid to our city's homeless and those with concerns over their locale find common ground, when even Pioneer Square has a neighborhood group fighting the introduction of further outreach nonprofits?

7 p.m. // Cable Channel 21 or seattlechannel.org