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BURIEN - On Thursday evening, Burien Mayor Kevin Schilling met with the Kennedy Catholic High School (KCHS) “Lancer” community to provide updates and answer questions about the proposed Tiny Home Village on the Seattle City Light property adjacent to their high school, located at 140 S. 140th St in Burien. Approximately 60 people attended.
Schilling offered the attendees many Burien insights, including updates on DESC, a newly announced Oversight Committee review of KCSO's Interlocal Agreement (ILA) with Burien, and "waiting on the Supreme Court ruling" on homeless camping on the streets.
But the biggest announcement of the evening came when he shared that King County had just revoked its offer of $1 million and 35 pallet shelters.
The mayor observed that while the previous council may have accepted the offer, the current council was taking the time to be legally and fiduciarily responsible. He added that King County (KC) tried to force the issue by offering funding, but did not expect Burien to go through the appropriate zoning and legal process, which can take some time. Schilling clarified that the million dollars would have been managed by the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA), not Burien.
According to the email from KC Deputy Executive Shannon Braddock, the money will now go directly to KCRHA, to be used “on outreach and emergency housing for individuals in South King County, including addressing the District Court site in Burien.” Braddock specifically included, “port-a-potties and hand washing stations at the encampment in Burien’s jurisdiction on our District Court property.”
In the same email, Braddock accused Burien Council of “actively working to put in place restrictions that exclude pallet shelters on the site selected by the Burien Council.” She claimed that “Burien chose not to apply for additional funding that would support operation of the pallet shelters.”
We reached out to the mayor, who sent us not only the June 27th email from KC Deputy Executive Shannon Braddock, but also City Manager Adolfo Bailon’s response on Thursday evening.
The full email exchange is posted at the bottom of this article, but here are Bailon’s main points in response to Braddock:
Finally, City Manager Bailon’s closing statement is an excellent review of what should have happened months ago when the county made its “million dollar” offer:
“Overall, I am very pleased to learn that King County is finally accepting the responsibility of managing a problem that is regional in nature and disproportionately affects cities with limit resources. The novel decision made by King County to work directly with KCRHA is what should have occurred from the very beginning. Instead, King County attempted to discharge its obligation to a city with limited resources and thereby creating a tremendous amount of turmoil within its population. Thank you for finally recognizing the role of a county government when dealing with an issue that extends well beyond all municipal borders.”
As background, on November 27, 2023, the outgoing Burien City Council narrowly voted to accept an offer of $1 Million and pallet shelters from King County. At the time, the council selected the Seattle City Light property, next to KCHS.
Over the course of the next several months, dozens of Kennedy Catholic parents, neighbors and community members spoke at City Council and Planning Commission meetings, citing safety concerns for both the nearby neighbors and for their children.
They questioned the wisdom of locating 60 homeless individuals, with known drug, alcohol and mental health issues, at any location near any school. The city council, planning commission, and legal counsel, have spent countless hours curating the required zoning code to best support Burien residents.
Regarding the balance of the June 27th Kennedy Catholic conversation with Mayor Schilling, it was an excellent reminder that community members need to stay engaged with their city government. More to follow.
________________________________________
FULL EMAIL
From: KC Deputy Executive Shannon Braddock
To: Burien City Manager Adolfo Bailon
June 27, 2024 9:58 am
Subject: County offer and District Court Encampment
Hello Adolfo,
Thank you for your emails regarding the District Court Encampment. Yes, per your request, we will set up some port-a-potties and hand washing stations at the encampment in Burien’s jurisdiction on our District Court property. We anticipate they will be up in the next few days.
I also write to share that, given the following, we are withdrawing King County’s offer of $1 million and 35 pallet shelters effective immediately:
King County will now direct the $1 million and pallet shelters to the King County Regional Homelessness Authority to use on outreach and emergency housing for individuals in South King County, including addressing the District Court site in Burien as you’ve shared your outreach team will not be able to service that area.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Sincerely, Shannon
Shannon Braddock (she/her)
From: Burien City Manager Adolfo Bailon
To: KC Deputy Executive Shannon Braddock
June 27, 2024 7:58 pm
Subject: RE: County offer and District Court Encampment
Deputy Executive Braddock,
The City of Burien did not request the placement of portable bathrooms and or handwashing stations at the encampment created by King County in Burien, but is pleased to learn that steps are being taken to address the public health issue created by King County.
On June 4th I wrote an email to Anthony Wright, KC Director of Facilities, to express my concern about the public health issue that exists on King County property and to seek information about King County’s plan to correct the issue. I also asked Mr. Wright to provide more information on King County’s ongoing efforts to restrict use of public bathrooms within King County facilities to homeless people residing within the encampment as the decision was causing challenges within the Burien Community Center. I am sorry to say that I did not receive a response to my inquiry.
The City of Burien accepted the $1 million offer extended by King County in 2023. The funds were accepted even though estimates created by the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) indicated that $1 million would be enough to construct a pallet village and allow it to remain open for only two to three months. My team and I asked representatives from KCRHA if additional funds would become available to extend the longevity of the project, but never receive any response to suggest that a pallet village in Burien would remain open beyond its initial three-month period. Moreover, my team and I asked Councilmember Mosqueda for help in identifying funds to keep open a pallet village beyond three months. I am sorry to say that we did not receive a response from her or her office on this point.
I would also like to share that Burien requested inclusion into King County’s Health Through Housing program on multiple occasions; novel requests to enter the program were made as early as March of 2023 and as recently as May of 2024 at the request of Councilmember Mosqueda. I am sorry to say that Burien continues to wait for an official response from King County.
I take exception to the inference that the City of Burien did not seek funding through the $5 million RFP released by King County earlier this year. In fact, Burien was only one of two cities that applied for funding, which led to an additional $1 million to support Mary’s Place and Mercy Housing in Burien. I want to reiterate the fact that Burien was only one of two municipalities to apply for funds through this program – a fact that was lauded by Governor Inslee at a meeting held earlier this month that was attended by many elected municipal leaders. An interesting fact to highlight about the meeting: Governor Inslee also rebuked the efforts of King County as it establish a $5 million grant program with such onerous requirements as they prevented cities of limited resources from applying.
On May 30th I sent to you a message in good faith where I informed King County of new resources becoming available to Burien and offered to establish a new partnership between our respective agencies to support the homeless population living in the encampment on 6th Ave SW. My email highlighted the upcoming presence of a dedicated service provider and dedicated funding in the amount of $200,000 to pay for temporary/emergency shelter. I had hoped that my message to you would lead to a continued partnership, but I never received a response.
Overall, I am very pleased to learn that King County is finally accepting the responsibility of managing a problem that is regional in nature and disproportionately affects cities with limit resources. The novel decision made by King County to work directly with KCRHA is what should have occurred from the very beginning. Instead, King County attempted to discharge its obligation to a city with limited resources and thereby creating a tremendous amount of turmoil within its population. Thank you for finally recognizing the role of a county government when dealing with an issue that extends well beyond all municipal borders.
Sincerely,
Adolfo Bailon
City Manager
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