After participating in the annual One Night Count two years in a row, Seattle City Councilmember Mike O’Brien is committed to helping car campers in Ballard. During the 2011 One Night Count, 141 people were counted living in vehicles in our neighborhood.
“In January of this year, I committed to finding a solution for people living in their cars in Ballard,” O’Brien writes. Since then, he has met with homeless advocates and churches. As we reported last week, Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Church is the first to agree to allow one to five vehicles to park overnight in their parking lot.
Councilmember O’Brien wants to secure $25,000 in the 2012 budget to fund case managers at each church that hosts cars. O’Brien is expecting 20 parking spots at churches around Ballard by January 1 of next year.
This funding will be a topic of conversation at tomorrow night’s 2012 budget public hearing that starts at 5:30 p.m. (sign in at 5 p.m.) at Seattle City Hall (600 Fourth Ave) in the Council Chambers on the second floor. Read more from Councilmember O’Brien here.
