Summary

Executive Constantine, Mayor Durkan and Mayor Backus convene the first meeting of One Table to develop a community-driven homelessness crisis response. Efforts will focus on action steps to prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless.

Story

King County Executive Dow Constantine, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, and Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus announced the membership of One Table – a high-level work group with an aggressive timeline for developing community action steps to confront the root causes of homelessness. The inaugural meeting of One Table will take place on Monday, Jan. 22.

“To truly get the upper hand on homelessness, we must be more focused on preventing people from becoming homeless in the first place,” said Executive Constantine. “With One Table, we are convening regional leaders who can help find the answers and unite the community to take on the many root causes of this crisis.” 

“The One Table task force was designed to create a regional, coordinated approach and holistic response to our homelessness crisis. To tackle this challenge, we need everyone at the table and pulling in the same direction. The One Table initiative is an incredible opportunity to best tackle this problem to ensure expansive and lasting solutions. I look forward to receiving the task force’s recommendations for unified, holistic action and strategies to address this urgent issue,” said Mayor Durkan.

"The convening of the One Table task force is a critical piece in addressing the homelessness crisis facing our region," said Mayor Backus. "By calling together experts and leaders from every sector of our community, we will be able to share ideas and proven solutions that we can draw on collectively. I look forward to the opportunity to work together to create a strategic path forward in addressing this challenge."

One Table members will work together to create scalable strategies for preventing homelessness and develop specific recommendations regarding five root causes of the crisis, including:

• the lack of affordable housing region-wide,
• inadequate access to behavioral health treatment,
• negative impacts on youth involved in the child-welfare system,
• prior criminal justice involvement impacting the ability to gain housing and employment,
• education and employment gaps making housing unattainable and unaffordable.

Composed of city and county leaders in business, politics, nonprofits, and service provision, many of whom have extensive experience with housing and homelessness issues or have experienced homelessness themselves, One Table members include:

• Co-Chair Nancy Backus, Auburn Mayor
• Co-Chair Dow Constantine, King County Executive
• Co-Chair Jenny Durkan, Seattle Mayor
• Hamdi Abdulle, Somali Youth and Family Club
• Joanne Alcantara, API Chaya
• Sally Bagshaw, Seattle City Council
• Connie Ballmer, Ballmer Group
• Caleb Banta-Green, University of Washington
• Don Blakeney, Downtown Seattle Association
• Jan Bolerjack, Riverton United Methodist Church
• Kelle Brown, Plymouth Church
• Molly Carney, Evergreen Treatment Services
• Chris Cates, REACH (Evergreen Treatment Services)
• Ana Mari Cauce, University of Washington
• John Chelminiak, Bellevue Mayor
• Frank Chopp, Speaker of the Washington State House of Representatives
• Debbie Christian, Auburn Food Bank
• Maud Daudon, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
• Deanna Dawson, Sound Cities Association
• Rod Dembowski, King County Council
• Dan Dixon, Providence Health & Services
• Colleen Echohawk, Chief Seattle Club
• Alison Eisinger, Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness
• Frank Foti, Vigor Industrial
• Nick Hanauer, Civic Ventures
• Patricia Hayden, YWCA Seattle-King-Snohomish
• Mike Heinisch, Kent Youth and Family Services
• Rex Hohlbein, BLOCK Project
• Katie Hong, Raikes Foundation
• Steve Hooper, Kigo Kitchen
• Jane Hopkins, SEIU 1199
• Lisa Howard, Alliance for Pioneer Square
• Helen Howell, Building Changes
• Laura Inveen, King County Superior Court Judge
• Megan Karch, FareStart
• Jeanne Kohl-Welles, King County Council
• Paul Lambros, Plymouth Housing Group
• Sharayah Lane, All Home Consumer Advisory Council 
• Annie Lee, Team Child
• Sara Levin, United Way of King County
• Julie Lindberg, Molina Healthcare
• Laurie Lippold, Partners for Our Children
• Andrew Lofton, Seattle Housing Authority
• Esther Lucero, Seattle Indian Health Board
• Joe McDermott, King County Council Chair
• Gordon McHenry, Solid Ground
• Tony Mestres, Seattle Foundation
• Kolin Min, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
• Denise Moriguchi, Uwajimaya
• Teresa Mosqueda, Seattle City Council
• Sharon Nelson, Majority Leader of the Washington State Senate
• Ariyetta Nelson
• Stephen Norman, King County Housing Authority
• Daniel Pitasky, Schultz Family Foundation
• Shelly Pricco, Nexus Youth and Families
• Ed Prince, Renton City Council President
• Mark Putnam, Accelerator YMCA
• Dana Ralph, Kent Mayor
• Spencer Rascoff, Zillow
• Dave Rodriquez, Plymouth Housing Group
• John Schoettler, Amazon
• Mary Snapp, Microsoft
• Dave Stewart, Vulcan
• Milena Stott, Valley Cities Behavioral Health Care
• Kenny Stuart, Seattle Firefighters Union IAFF #27
• César Torres, Northwest Justice Project
• Laura Van Tosh, Seattle Area Support Groups
• Shari Wade, All Home Consumer Advisory Council
• Amy Walen, Kirkland Mayor
• Joshua Wallace, Seattle Area Support Groups
• Sally Watkins, Washington State Nurses Association
• Calvin Watts, Kent School Superintendent
• John Arthur Wilson, King County Assessor
• Danielle Winslow, All Home
• Hilary Young, Pioneer Human Services

One Table work group meetings are scheduled through April.

Relevant links

• One Table

Quotes

To truly get the upper hand on homelessness, we must be more focused on preventing people from becoming homeless in the first place. With One Table, we are convening regional leaders who can help find the answers and unite the community to take on the many root causes of this crisis.

The One Table task force was designed to create a regional, coordinated approach and holistic response to our homelessness crisis. To tackle this challenge, we need everyone at the table and pulling in the same direction. The One Table initiative is an incredible opportunity to best tackle this problem to ensure expansive and lasting solutions. I look forward to receiving the task force’s recommendations for unified, holistic action and strategies to address this urgent issue.

The convening of the One Table task force is a critical piece in addressing the homelessness crisis facing our region. By calling together experts and leaders from every sector of our community, we will be able to share ideas and proven solutions that we can draw on collectively. I look forward to the opportunity to work together to create a strategic path forward in addressing this challenge.

For more information, contact:

Alex Fryer, Executive Office, 206-477-7966

Stephanie Formas, Seattle Mayor's Office, 206-247-0475

Kalyn Brady, Auburn Mayor's Office, 206-804-5029

---