Who is bringing common sense solutions to the region’s homelessness debate?

Who is refuting the seemingly ridiculous claim that addiction and mental health issues are not major factors in King County’s worsening homelessness crisis?

The answer is three women who have each become authoritative voices in the homelessness discussions.

These three non-governmental leaders stand out among those trying to end the suffering of thousands of people who government programs have failed to help. While nearly every government homelessness policy and action has increased homelessness (the population has grown 63% in last decade despite billions spent), these women champion far less expensive measures which bring positive results.

Andrea Suarez, We Heart Seattle Founder & Executive Director

In October 2020, as Seattle began its rapid decay under failed progressive homelessness, drug, and public safety policies, We Heart Seattle was founded by a group of volunteers who sought to clean up the parks, green spaces, and other public property that were damaged by the growing number of encampments. More importantly, the group sought to help some of the thousands who were debilitated by addiction – who Seattle and King County refused to assist.

Andrea Suarez is the strong-willed Founder and Executive Director of We Heart Seattle. Her posts on X.com and Facebook detail the group’s on-going activities performed on a shoestring budget and donations. Hundreds of volunteers have removed 1,500,000 pounds of garbage and more than 250 people have been helped off the streets.

Suarez has quickly become a leading expert on Seattle’s severe homelessness due to her thousands of hours helping those who are without shelter, addicted to drugs, and struggling with mental health issues. She is also in constant contact with first responders, social caseworkers, treatment specialists, and community leaders.  Her experience has led her to being a strong critic of the disastrous “Housing First” homeless policy and its companion controversial “Harm Reduction” drug policy.

While King County Executive Dow Constantine argues that “It is wrong” to believe addiction and mental health issues are a leading cause of the current homeless crisis, Suarez is actually on the streets (their office is on 3^rd Avenue) and in the encampments talking with addicted and mentally ill homeless individuals who are begging for treatment so they can get off the streets.

Recently Suarez expressed frustrations attempting to work with the King County Regional Homeless Authority to help place homeless addicts into treatment. KCRHA new CEO Kelly Kinnison canceled an appointment with Andrea at the last minute. Suarez said, “We Heart Seattle urges more staff and dollars spent on the ground, literally working with people to access mental health care and inpatient (treatment) before (being) placed in community-based recovery housing. We have supported dozens of people with this model, and it works better.”

Ginny Burton, O-UT and Modern America Films Founder & CEO

If you don’t know Ginny Burton’s inspirational story, you should (watch KOMO’s Eric Johnson’s report). From a drug addicted homeless criminal to a University of Washington honor grad and successful small business owner who is dedicated to helping those still suffering.

Through her life experience, Burton knows the struggles of those stuck in the cycle of addiction, homelessness, and crime. She founded Overhaul-Unrelenting Transfiguration (O-UT) which successfully uses a targeted, personalized support model to help inmates learn and treat the reasons behind their destructive behavior. O-UT continues to work with their clients once they have completed their sentence to make sure they have the skills and the tools to be productive members of their community. Due to O-UT’s success rate in Washington, more correctional facilities are eager to bring Ginny’s team in to guide and inspire their inmates.

Burton’s Modern America YouTube page is one of the best sources for in-depth materials on the homeless and drug crises. The documentaries feature interviews with those who are on the frontlines of what is taking place on our streets. These individuals are frustrated by the housing first and harm reduction policies which have made the homeless and drug problems even worse.

Through her videos, we hear from:

• The drug addict who can’t get into treatment.
• The police officer who daily visits encampments and sees the damage done by fentanyl.
• The City of Seattle official who describes the tremendous cost of homelessness on all government services.
• The residents of public housing who are surrounded by drug use and violence.
• The Superior Court judge describing problems within criminal court system.

These stories are incredibly compelling. Many of these people are those who the current progressive system is failing. Like Ginny, they have much to offer if they could just receive treatment. Yet in King County, politicians have focused resources on building a large expensive housing bureaucracy instead of providing much-needed treatment for a fraction of the cost.

Caitlyn McKenney, Discovery Institute Research Fellow

Some of the best analysis and reports on the Washington’s homelessness failures come from the Discovery Institute’s fixhomeless.org. Research Fellow Caitlyn McKenney works with journalist Jonathan Choe and respected authors Dr. Robert Marbut, Jr. and Dr. Marvin Olasky to cover the homeless issue from many angles. Choe does the gritty street journalism, while Drs. Marbut and Olasky cover the issue from a broader national perspective.  

McKenney’s “Restorations” podcast and her writings focus on local homelessness and housing issues. While focusing on the homelessness crisis, McKenney details how such housing issues as rent control, landlord-tenant laws, and eviction restrictions impact housing supply and homelessness. It is well worth your time to watch her rebuttal of Executive Constantine’s misguided argument that addiction and mental health issues are irrelevant in the homeless crisis.

McKenney and Marbut’s A New Approach to Homelessnessis a must read for anyone looking for a common sense solution to Seattle’s homelessness crisis. The short report uses data to define the problem and provide a common-sense solution focused on treatment.

These three women understand the region’s homeless problem better than almost everyone. They know what works and what is making the problem worse. We encourage you to keep an eye on their activities and support them by passing on their excellent work to others.  Below we have posted links to follow them and Restorations podcasts where they are featured.

More importantly, we need to implement their changes into our current failed system. The answer isn’t to pour more money into a broken approach, but to replace failed programs with programs with a proven track record of actually making a difference. The goal shouldn’t be to increase the size of the homelessness bureaucracy, but to get individuals off the street and back to being productive members of society.

Ginny Burton

• O-UT Program
• Modern America YouTube Page
• Facebook

Caitlyn McKenney

• Fixhomelessness.org
• Twitter

Andrea Suarez

• We Heart Seattle website
• Twitter

• Interview with Ginny Burton
• Interview with Andrea Suarez