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Mayor Durkan Signs Legislation to Increase Bridge Housing and Shelter Capacity by 25%

Expanded City Hall Shelter to Open Next Week

Seattle (June 22) – Mayor Jenny A. Durkan signed into law a bill to create more than 500 new shelter beds in the next 90 days, to help address Seattle’s urgent homelessness crisis. The legislation will increase the number of bridge housing and shelter units in Seattle by 25%, the largest single increase in the City’s history. Upon signing the legislation, Mayor Durkan released the following statement:

“With far too many of our neighbors living in tents and unsheltered, we must create a surge in urgent shelter, so in the next 90 days, we can make important strides to move more people off the streets and into safer places.  We are taking bold and immediate action on our city’s homelessness crisis by expanding and creating shelter capacity, bringing people inside right here at City Hall and increasing access to enhanced shelters with 24/7 services. When people have access to shelter, they will be able to take advantage of services like behavioral health and employment support, and then move to permanent housing.”

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