2021/03/03 Council Agenda Packet

Marista Jorve From: Deb Williams Sent: Tuesday, March 2, 2021 3:39 PM To: Anna Pankevich; Sharon Fuller; Marista Jorve Cc: DL-Council; Cassie Franklin Subject: FW: CB 2102-06 First Reading March 3, 2021 I have acknowledged Mr. Stueve on another email he sent. He may be calling tomorrow night but is not sure so he wanted to make sure we received his comments. Deb From: Barry Stueve <barry.stueve@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2021 2:55 PM To: DL-Council <Council@everettwa.gov> Subject: CB 2102-06 First Reading March 3, 2021 Mayor Franklin and Members of the Everett City Council, I write to you as a private citizen who is not a resident of Everett, but who spends the majority of my working time in Everett in service to the health and well-being of the Everett community with an emphasis on those who are vulnerable and marginalized. I do not officially represent my employer, but do gain a perspective on the human dynamics impacted by an ordinance under consideration for first reading at this March 3 council meeting enforcing a "no sit, no lie" restriction on an area of the city of around 180 acres. There are several concerns in this proposed ordinance. First of all, the ordinance is framed as part of the perceived duty to preserve "public morality" (1st whereas) and sets the tone that "homelessness" is a burden on the general well-being of the city and local businesses rather than those who are without shelter. This would imply that those who are forced to "live in public" for lack of housing are guilty of a moral and social failure. Secondly, the amount of housing being provided in the proposed pallet housing (20-30 persons) would not match the level of need of those who would be displaced by such an ordinance. Displacing those who are attempting to keep body and soul together with some semblance of safety and autonomy does not solve the problem, it only pushes the problem deeper into the human experience of those who are displaced and exacerbates the many dimensions of their needs which come in interactions with healthcare, social services, law enforcement and the legal system. Finally, the proposed penalty for an infraction against this ordinance also is a typical criminalizing of homelessness that propels an individual into less and less ability to come to a place of regaining housing and functioning in society. Fines lead to penalties for non-payment and jail time imposes a loss of personal property and the ability to pursue any traction on recovering from a homeless state. I would strongly encourage the council to seek other ways to address what are described as "social issues". This ordinance in Section 3 also criminalizes providing services to those who may be in this area in an attempt to help them meet their basic needs. This goes beyond criminalizing homelessness and enters the realm of criminalizing those who are working to bring people out of the struggles of lacking shelter. This verges on the sentiment of refraining from feeding "stray" animals out of a concern that they would be motivated to stay. i