Seattle Council to consider 9M a year Pathways to Recovery program as Trump issues order on homelessness and disorder on Americas streets

Seattle City Council president Sara Nelson's $9 million annual program to address addiction and homelessness will be voted on Tuesday. The proposal directs 25% of a new tenth of a cent sales tax to treatment services, targeting organizations such as Evergreen Treatment Services and the Downtown Emergency Service Center. This initiative reflects an increasing focus on "treatment first" strategies as low-barrier providers struggle with the homelessness crisis. Nelson's campaign for re-election is complicated by a challenge from Dionne Foster, director of Progress Alliance of Washington, as the primary election approaches. The proposal coincides with President Trump's recent executive order on homelessness, which aims to prioritize treatment and facilitate encampment removals.

Trump's order seeks to shift federal funding toward programs requiring sobriety and treatment. The Seattle City Council has not yet detailed how it will implement the state-authorized tax increase, which could also benefit policing initiatives. Nelson's office estimates the tax increase will raise over $35 million annually, with approximately $8. 75 million earmarked for her "Pathways to Recovery" legislation.