Podcasts about Homelessness

What's happening today: Arrest made in killing of Beverly Hills philanthropist; LAPD cracking down on "smash and grab" robberies; LAUSD leaks student COVID data; Survey says short-term shelters are preferred for dealing with homelessness; L.A. City Council asks state to update street vendor rules; MLB begins lockout;  This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.   Support the show: https://support.laist.com/laistnav

Today Crystal is joined by Laura Loe, Founder and Executive Director of Share The Cities, which both educates around and advocates for affordable housing and reasonable housing policies that serve the communities they're in. Discussions include the continued legacy of racially motivated redlining, the controversy of golf courses, and how Legos and The Sims have formed a new generation of city planners. As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com. Find the host, Crystal Fincher on Twitter at @finchfrii and find more information about Share The Cities at @STCActionFund and @sharethecities.More info is available at officialhacksandwonks.com.   Resources Share The Cities Community Education: https://sharethecities.org/about “Acronyms for Action: ADU DADU EIS” by Chrystine Kim, Matt Hutchens, and Laura Loe from The South Seattle Emerald: https://southseattleemerald.com/2018/06/21/op-ed-acronyms-for-action-adu-dadu-eis/ “Segregated Seattle” from the Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project from the University of Washington: https://depts.washington.edu/civilr/segregated.htm “Are golf courses the solution to affordable housing?” by Bill Radke from KUOW: https://www.kuow.org/stories/are-golf-courses-the-solution-to-affordable-housing “Five Steps to Prevent Displacement” from the Sightline Institute: https://www.sightline.org/2020/08/03/five-steps-to-prevent-displacement/ “Post-election Seattle has housing density on the agenda” by David Kroman from Crossut: https://crosscut.com/news/2021/11/post-election-seattle-has-housing-density-agenda “Must Reads: From video game to day job: How ‘SimCIty' inspired a generation of city planner” by Jessica Roy from The Los Angeles Times: https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-simcity-inspired-urban-planners-20190305-story.html   Transcript The transcript will be uploaded as soon as possible.

Welcome to my Channel! You are watching : Ending The Stigmas of Mental Illness | Ending Mental Health Stereotypes | Road 2 Redemption Podcast www.Road2RedemptionPodcast.com for past episodes & merch Do you believe that mental health matters? Are you looking for something to motivate and inspire you to self-improvement? If you want to learn and be more educated about mental health and well-being, this is the right channel for you! Please subscribe to my channel, and I promise you'll have a great time with me! ►►SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/CamWilliamson 0:00 - 0:15- Road 2 Redemption Podcast Intro 0:16 - 1:00 - Stigmas of Mental Illness 1:01 - 2:30 - What is the difference between Mental Illness and Mental Health 2:31 - 4:00 - Anxiety Stigmas and Stereotypes 4:01 - 6:30 - Depression Stigmas and Stereotypes 6:31 - 8:00 - Bipolar Disorder Stigmas and Stereotypes 8:01 - 11:00 - Ending The Stigmas of Mental Illness and Ending Mental Health Stereotypes 11:01 - 14:00 - Homelessness and Mental Illness Stereotypes & Stigmas 14:01 - 16:00 - Autism Stigmas and Stereotypes 16:01 - 20:00 - How Mental Health Stigmas and Stereotypes Effect Our Lives 20:01 - 24:05 - School Shootings and Mental Health Stigmas & Stereotypes 24:06 - 32:04 - Cam's Story Of Knowing A Man With Schizophrenia 32:05 - 40:00 - Road 2 Redemption Podcast Outro I am Cam Williamson. I'm the host of The Road 2 Redemption Podcast and the founder of the Shatter it Movement. The Shatter it Movement aims to shatter the labels and stigmas surrounding mental health. Mental health matters, so let me share essential mental health and self-care tips that will surely help you have an easier time maintaining good mental habits. Enjoy weekly episodes of R2R at the same time watching vlogs, , and anything else I can come up with! Watch more videos https://youtu.be/UDCCSkxvM60 - Ahmaud Arbery Verdict Reaction | Road 2 Redemption Podcast with Cam Williamson https://youtu.be/NiMlTylyHX0 - The Media's Responsibility In The Mental Health Epidemic | Headlines Creating Hate https://youtu.be/qlRPSY9s0fE - Kyle Rittenhouse Verdict of Not Guilty On All Counts Reaction | What Now? My Channel features podcast's about mental health, and self-improvement tips to end the stigma and promote awareness. Also, my videos include vlogs, reviews, and a lot more. Please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and COMMENT so that I can continue to create valuable content for YOU! ►►SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/CamWilliamson #Stigmas #MentalHealth #MentalHealthStigmas

Is it a good idea to replace the police with social workers? We welcome back Dr. Stephen Eide of the City Journal and the Manhattan Institute to discuss the pros and cons. Homelessness and Covid The City Journal The Manhattan Institute for Policy Research  

Kyle, Torrance and Danny are back this week talking about our Thanksgiving together, the sudden death of Virgil Abloh and Homelessness/crime in LA. . Merch at Followsellers.com Follow us on IG/Twitter @9to5podcasts

Erica C. Barnett from Publicola joins Crystal this week to review the news of the week, including: King County's decision not to count the homeless population this year; Crosscut's opinion section shutting down; Sound Transit continuing its punitive fare enforcement policy; and The continuing redistricting saga. As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com. Find the host, Crystal Fincher on Twitter at @finchfrii and find today's co-host, Erica C. Barnett, at @ericacbarnett. More info is available at officialhacksandwonks.com.   Resources “In a Move with Potential Funding Consequences, King County Won't Count Homeless Population This Year” by Erica C. Barnett from Publicola: https://publicola.com/2021/11/24/in-a-move-with-potential-funding-consequences-king-county-wont-count-homeless-population-this-year/ “Seattle City Council passes a 2022 budget that emphasizes funding for homelessness, affordable housing” by Sarah Grace Taylor from The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattle-city-council-passes-a-2022-budget-that-emphasizes-funding-for-homelessness-affordable-housing/ “Council Declines to Fund Two Big-Ticket Asks from Homelessness Authority” by Erica C. Barnett from Publicola: https://publicola.com/2021/11/17/council-declines-to-fund-two-big-ticket-asks-from-homelessness-authority/ “Q&A: Two years after her report on Seattle's homelessness, how does Barbara Poppe grade the city?” by Vianna Davila from The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/qa-two-years-after-her-report-on-seattles-homelessness-how-does-barbara-poppe-grade-the-city/ “An Interview with Homeless Consultant Barb Poppe” by Erica C. Barnett in The South Seattle Emerald: https://southseattleemerald.com/2017/03/16/an-interview-with-homelessness-consultant-barb-poppe/ “No Safe Street: A Survey of Violence Committed Against Homeless People” from The National Coalition for the Homeless: https://nationalhomeless.org/no-safe-place/ “Crosscut's Opinion Section is Shutting Down. That's Bad News.” by Katie Wilson from Publicola: https://publicola.com/2021/11/22/crosscuts-opinion-section-is-shutting-down-thats-bad-news/ “After Years of Debate, Still No Fix for Sound Transit's Punitive Fare Enforcement Policy” by Erica C. Barnett from Publicola: https://publicola.com/2021/11/23/after-years-of-debate-still-no-fix-for-sound-transits-punitive-fare-enforcement-policy/ “Mayor Wu Takes Steps to Expand Fare-Free Bus Service” from the City of Boston Mayor's Office: https://www.boston.gov/news/mayor-wu-takes-steps-expand-fare-free-bus-service “A look at last-minute deal-making in WA redistricting negotiations” by Melissa Santos from Crosscut: https://crosscut.com/politics/2021/11/look-last-minute-deal-making-wa-redistricting-negotiations “Critics call for reform of WA redistricting process after commission failure” by Melissa Santos from Crosscut: https://crosscut.com/politics/2021/11/critics-call-reform-wa-redistricting-process-after-commission-failure “Washington's redistricting failure: What went wrong and what happens now?” by Jim Brunner from The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/washingtons-redistricting-failure-what-went-wrong-and-what-happens-now/   Transcript The transcript will be uploaded as soon as possible.

In this episode of the podcast, Mindy talks with Karmen Kendrick. Karmen is a Product Manager for Learn Dash by day, Wordpress aficionado by night, and most importantly, Director of Taco Relations at her newsletter and site Tips & Tacos! But what makes Karmen exceptionally inspiring is her candid talk about how she overcame homelessness to reinvent a life she never could imagine. Her journey to embrace vulnerability and honesty is beyond impressive. Be sure to listen closely to this one, as she shares so many amazing nuggets of wisdom within such casual conversation, you may not even notice them the first time around! Want to get in touch with Karmen? Check her out here: Facebook: @iamkarmenk LinkedIn: @iamkarmenk Twitter: @iamkarmenk Pinterest: @iamkarmenk Want to connect with Mindy? You can follow her on Instagram HERE or Twitter HERE. Looking to reinvent a space that is TRULY you?! Check out the women-founded e-design firm, Truly Styled, You! Offering custom designs and consultations to provide a truly unique experience to all of your home design needs! Visit them online at TrulyStyledYou.com! This episode is brought to you by Scripted Fragrance. A female-owned business out of New York offering 125 unique candles, they're 100% soy wax and hand-poured using premium fragrance and essential oils. We are so excited to offer listeners 10% off all orders using the code “REINVENT10” at ScriptedFragrance.com! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/mindy-thomas/support

Thank you so much for tuning in for another episode of Tin Foil Hat with Sam Tripoli. This episode we welcome Author and Podcaster, Travis Mateer, to the show to discuss what he has seen going down in Missoula, Montana when it comes to how local politicians deal with homelessness, drug dealing and missing people. It's straight up Twin Peaks in Montana! Enjoy the episode and thank you for your support. Check out Sam Tripoli Live and grab your tickets at Samtripoli.com:Dec 2nd-4th: San Diego- The American Comedy Company with Sam Tripoli. Howie Dewey and Chris Neffhttps://americancomedyco.comDec 10th: Tampa Bay, FL- Tin Foil Hat Comedy Live at The Sidesplitters at 10pm https://sidesplitterscomedy.laughstub.com/event.cfm?showTimingID=545512Check out Travis Mateer's internet:Website: http://www.williamskink.comWebsite: https://www.engensmissoula.comPodcast: Zoom Chron- https://feeds.transistor.fm/zoom-chronCheck out all. of my premium content on ROKFIN.com. 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On this episode, Cyrus is joined by Ganesh Ramani, Managing Director at Mars Petcare India, to talk about pet ownership, the pet homelessness index, the ForPaws AI driven pet lost-and-found app, and tons more. They talk about how Ganesh got into animal and pet welfare, how ForPaws works, how they were able to return a pet to its owner within the first 4 days of launch, no reported cases of COVID in pet animals, and lots more. They also talk about the first ever State of Pet Homelessness Index by Mars Petcare, a study that helps identify the causes and problem areas when it comes to pet homelessness, what can be done to address this problem, how pet adoption has seen a rise in the pandemic, and tons more. They also talk about Mars' efforts with Airport Certification that makes travelling with your pet easier, when that will come to India, and more. Tune in for a very interesting conversation.Follow Ganesh on LinkeIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ganesh-ramani-b277b02Subscribe to the new Cyrus Says YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmY4iMGgEa49b7-NH94p1BQAlso, subscribe to Cyrus' YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/channel/UCHAb9jLYk0TwkWsCxom4q8AYou can follow Antariksh on Instagram @antariksht: https://instagram.com/antarikshtDo send in AMA questions for Cyrus by tweeting them to @cyrussaysin or e-mailing them at whatcyrussays@gmail.comDon't forget to follow Cyrus Broacha on Instagram @BoredBroacha (https://www.instagram.com/boredbroacha)In case you're late to the party and want to catch up on previous episodes of Cyrus Says you can do so at: www.ivmpodcasts.com/cyrussaysYou can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcasts App on Android: https://ivm.today/androidor iOS: https://ivm.today/ios

Join your host Andrew Tisser with his guest Dr. David Rhoiney, as they talk about David's story of going from homeless to the navy to becoming a doctor. As we hear from David's success story, listen as he explains how difference can be used to connect, why he thinks medical students can be considered masochists, and his thoughts on the many limiting blocks that make it so hard to study medicine. As an advocate for diversity in the medical field, Dr. Rhoiney believes that there is another type of diversity that medicine isn't addressing.In this episode you will learn:·       Dr. David Rhoiney – being a cookie-cutter is a disservice to who I can inspire·       From homelessness to becoming a doctor·       A different type of issue on diversity in the medical field·       The Barriers to Entry on Medicine·       On teaching people jargon-free financial conceptsAbout Dr. David Rhoiney:United States Naval Academy graduate, former two-sport NCAA Division 1 athlete, applied mathematician, cryptologist, cyber security specialist, and robotic general surgeon all before the age of 35, Dr. David Rhoiney arose from poverty and homelessness as a child to create a type of success that serves as a blueprint for others to follow. Dr. David is a passionate advocate for the voiceless who uses his life experience and talents to help others navigate the complexities of life and achieve their dreams. His life's mission is to leave a lasting legacy that helps decrease the wealth gap and ease the barriers to a successful life in the United States.Connect with Dr. David Rhoiney on:Website:             https://surgifi.com/ Facebook:          https://www.facebook.com/groups/surgifi/?ref=share Twitter:               https://twitter.com/FiSurgi Instagram:         https://www.instagram.com/surgifi/ Connect with Talk2Medoc on:Website:             https://www.andrewtisserdo.com/LinkedIn:            https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewtisserdo/Facebook:          https://www.facebook.com/andrew.tisserInstagram:         https://www.instagram.com/talk2medoc_llc/Twitter:               https://twitter.com/Talk2MeDocYouTube:              https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0O_Sf3aYLavYaJ_hg7bM8g

The number of unhoused Americans is at a historically high rate right now. This podcast is produced in Seattle, a city with the third highest homeless population in the U.S. Though many Seattleites identify as progressive, we can't reach a consensus on how to help our most vulnerable populations—or even find agreement on the root causes of the housing crisis. Why are perspectives on homelessness, and possible solutions to it, so polarized? Josephine Ensign, a University of Washington nurse and health care provider for people experiencing homelessness, shares some of her insights from her career on the frontlines of this crisis.  Josephine Ensign is a professor in the School of Nursing and an adjunct professor in the Department of Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies at the University of Washington. Her most recent book is Skid Road: On the Frontier of Health and Homelessness in an American City.  Twitter: @josephineensign Skid Road: https://bookshop.org/books/skid-road-on-the-frontier-of-health-and-homelessness-in-an-american-city/9781421440132  Homelessness Rises Faster Where Rent Exceeds a Third of Income: https://www.zillow.com/research/homelessness-rent-affordability-22247/ WA Department of Commerce: http://www.commerce.wa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/hau-why-homelessness-increase-2017.pdf  Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com/ Twitter: @PitchforkEcon Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Nick's twitter: @NickHanauer

On today's episode of the podcast we're joined by Rosanna Curci. Rosanna helped create a documentary called Hidden In Plain Sight. This documentary focuses on the true stories from the homeless youth of the Covenant House. Rosanna shares what prompted her to create this documentary and what life events drove her to make this documentary. Useful Links-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJiu71Q7De4-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k--K_ZX4hOM-rmcurci@gmail.com-https://www.covenanthouse.orgFor more questions on the podcast, how you can contribute, or how to reach me you can follow and contact me via:Website: LimelightHighlight.comEmail: LimelightHighlight@gmail.comInstagram: LimelighthighlightTwitter: @LL_HighlightFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/limelighthighlight/If there is anyone you'd like to see featured on the podcast or you have any inputs on what should be on the show feel free to contact me via the links above. If you or anyone you know has done something positive be sure to write in for a shoutout and help positivity spread throughout the world. Until next time, "Be humble, be helpful, pay it forward, be the best you and remember it's not all bad" Spread that love!"

Kathryn Monet - Chief Executive Officer of the National Coalition for Homeless VeteransRalph Cooper - Community and Residential Veteran Services Coordinator Cloudbreak Houston, LLC and Co-Founder of National Coalition for Homeless Veterans

For the first time ever, more than 100,000 Americans died from a drug overdose in just one year, according to preliminary numbers released by the CDC this week. Most deaths were from fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that can be 100 times more potent than morphine. For decades, fentanyl was only used in hospitals, but now you can find it anywhere. Meth is also available cheaply, is stronger now than ever before, and is a big reason why so many people are living on the streets in LA, according to journalist and author Sam Quinones. His new book is “The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth. Press Play also gets reviews of the latest films: “King Richard,” “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” “C'mon C'mon,” and “Bruised.”

In this episode we switch it up, and Dr. Marisa Zapata is the one answering the questions about rates of homelessness, affordable housing, and how to help those living unsheltered. Community leader and housing advocate Shannon Singleton gets to ask the questions that many community members have. She is the former executive director of JOIN, a local nonprofit that provides street outreach and housing placement support to individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Editor's note: This episode was recorded before Shannon Singleton announced her candidacy for Multnomah County Chair, and is not meant as an endorsement of any campaign. 

Salt Lake City's mayor expressed frustration this week when she announced the city would be adding a temporary emergency homeless shelter on the west side. Her frustration is that no other city in the County, or even the state, is stepping up to address this problem that is not just Salt Lake's problem. KSL Newsradio's Amanda Dickson asked her guests on A Woman's View for their wisdom on how to approach this complicated problem. Her guests this week include Kathy Aiken, long time sportscaster for KSL TV and founder of The Forget Me Not Project, Katie Matheson, Deputy Director of Better Utah, and Kathy Nelson with Salt Lake County Aging and Adult Services.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Utah is spending a lot to fight homelessness, but it seems the problem keeps growing. What can we be doing better? Former Utah Senate Minority Leader Scott Howell joined Boyd to talk about what we are doing right and what needs to be addressed to help get people into stable housing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the season finale of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Alan is joined by the Executive Director of Foundation Communities, Walter Moreau. Like Alan, Walter is a "do-er." Foundation Communities currently has more than 20 affordable housing communities which serve about 7,000 families and single adults throughout Austin and North Texas. The organization also provides education opportunities and other support services to help empower its residents to achieve educational success, financial stability and healthier lifestyles. Listen in as Walter and Alan discuss the value that comes with getting to know our neighbors, as well as the future collaboration planned between Community First! Village and Foundation Communities to lift more of our homeless friends up off the streets.

Domhnall Nugent, Antrim hurler

The pandemic exposed many gaps in modern society, but few people are more familiar with those gaps than those experiencing homelessness. That's especially true in Washington D.C., where the number of chronically unhoused people increased by more than 20 percent last year. That's also meant an increase in encampments across the city.This year, the district launched a pilot program to clear encampments and put people into housing. We also look at what's happening in Los Angeles, where homelessness is a top concern. The city passed a ban on camping and is set to clear at least 70 spots with hundreds more possibly on the horizon. From D.C. to L.A., how are cities responding to encampments and what are the best solutions? Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

Why homelessness is becoming a more visible problem along the West Coast. The Associated Press is making waves in media industry standards. From North Korea to Norway, a journalist travels the outline of the world's largest country in search of the answer to one question: what is it like to be Russia's neighbor? Also, on today's show: rest is an important part of learning; how to encourage curiosity in children without going nuts fielding their endless questions.

Confessions of a D.C. Madam The Politics of Sex, Lies, and Blackmail Confessions of a DC Madam (Trine Day, March 2015) is an autographical account of Henry W. Vinson's odyssey from the humble origins of Williamson, West Virginia to running the largest gay escort service in Washington, DC by the time he was 26 years old. This haunting exposé is the first book to tell the tale of sexually blackmailed politicians and government officials in the U.S. by an individual who actually witnessed these sinister maneuverings first-hand. Confessions of a DC Madam proves that there is a clandestine checks-and-balances system in effect within our government—blackmail. Vinson intricately documents his interactions with various closeted and non-closeted VIPs who solicited the escorts he employed. Moreover, this new book details Vinson's numerous exchanges with a CIA asset whose specialty was sexually compromising the powerbrokers of Washington, DC, and the trials and tribulations Vinson suffered because he was privy to information that could have produced a seismic political scandal. Confessions of a DC Madam details the federal government's illicit, malicious, and relentless attack on Vinson to ensure his silence, which included incarceration rooted in trumped-up charges and Vinson's story shows the reader the illegal activities the government executes to silence those who are privy to the fact that American politicians and power brokers are compromised by their sexual improprieties. This fascinating and shocking facet of government corruption reveals the integral role blackmail plays in American politics and the unbelievable lengths the government perpetrates to silence those in the know. Henry W. Vinson is the former funeral director for W. W. Chambers Funeral Home, who also owned and operated the largest gay escort service in Washington, DC. He lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. PUBLICATION DATE: MARCH 2015, ISBN 978-1-937584-29-0 HISTORY/CURRENT EVENTS 201 PAGES, 6 X 95, FORMAT: TRADE PAPER $24.95 (US $24.95) (CA $27.95) RIGHTS: WOR - TRINE DAY Nick Bryant Nick Bryant is an investigative journalist whose work largely focuses on the plight of disadvantaged children in the United States. His mainstream and investigative journalism has been featured in Gear, Playboy, the Reader, and on He is the coauthor of America's Children: Triumph of Tragedy, addressing the medical and developmental problems of lower socioeconomic children in America. Bryant is the author of The Franklin Scandal: A Story of Powerbrokers, Child Abuse and Betrayal. Bryant has also been published in numerous national journals, including the Journal of Professional Ethics, Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness, Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, and Journal of School Health. He lives in New York City.

Confessions of a D.C. MadamThe Politics of Sex, Lies, and BlackmailConfessions of a DC Madam (Trine Day, March 2015) is an autographical account of Henry W.Vinson's odyssey from the humble origins of Williamson, West Virginia to running the largest gayescort service in Washington, DC by the time he was 26 years old.This haunting exposé is the first book to tell the tale of sexually blackmailed politicians andgovernment officials in the U.S. by an individual who actually witnessed these sinister maneuveringsfirst-hand. Confessions of a DC Madam proves that there is a clandestine checks-and-balances systemin effect within our government—blackmail.Vinson intricately documents his interactions with various closeted and non-closeted VIPs whosolicited the escorts he employed. Moreover, this new book details Vinson's numerous exchanges witha CIA asset whose specialty was sexually compromising the powerbrokers of Washington, DC, and thetrials and tribulations Vinson suffered because he was privy to information that could have produced aseismic political scandal.Confessions of a DC Madam details the federal government's illicit, malicious, and relentless attackon Vinson to ensure his silence, which included incarceration rooted in trumped-up charges andVinson's story shows the reader the illegal activities the government executes to silence those who areprivy to the fact that American politicians and power brokers are compromised by their sexualimproprieties. This fascinating and shocking facet of government corruption reveals the integral roleblackmail plays in American politics and the unbelievable lengths the government perpetrates tosilence those in the know.Henry W. Vinson is the former funeral director for W. W. Chambers Funeral Home, who also ownedand operated the largest gay escort service in Washington, DC. He lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.PUBLICATION DATE: MARCH 2015, ISBN 978-1-937584-29-0HISTORY/CURRENT EVENTS201 PAGES, 6 X 95, FORMAT: TRADE PAPER$24.95 (US $24.95) (CA $27.95)RIGHTS: WOR - TRINE DAYNick BryantNick Bryant is an investigative journalist whose work largely focuses on theplight of disadvantaged children in the United States. His mainstream andinvestigative journalism has been featured in Gear, Playboy, the Reader, and onHe is the coauthor of America's Children: Triumph of Tragedy, addressingthe medical and developmental problems of lower socioeconomic children inAmerica. Bryant is the author of The Franklin Scandal: A Story of Powerbrokers,Child Abuse and Betrayal.Bryant has also been published in numerous national journals, including theJournal of Professional Ethics, Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology,Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness, Journal of Health Care for the Poorand Underserved, and Journal of School Health.He lives in New York City.

If there was one thing you think society should talk more about, what would it be?“Society needs to talk about the state of homelessness for older people, especially women over 50. Many of whom find themselves without superannuation or even a fair deal when a marriage breaks down if they haven't had visibility over the family finances or everything they own has been run through the ‘company'. ___________ Marina Go is as dynamic as they come. Such an impressive human and we had so much to talk about when I first interviewed her - we decided to do another episode!   Marina has a lot going on! She's currently the Chair of Netball Australia, Ovarian Cancer Australia and The Walkley Foundation, and a non-executive director on the boards of Energy Australia, 7-Eleven, Autosports Group, Pro-Pac, Adore Beauty and Booktopia. She was recently appointed to the board of Transurban.  She is a member of UNSW's Business Advisory Council and ANU's Centre for Asian-Australian Leadership (CAAL) Advisory Board, and author of the business book for women, Break Through: 20 Success Strategies for Female Leaders. Boss magazine named Marina as one of the 20 True Leaders of 2016.  Marina has over 30 years of leadership experience in the media industry, having started her career as a journalist. Her media exec roles are extensive and she was also the former chair of the West Tigers NRL Club - which we'll get more into today.  Marina's media executive roles included Private Media CEO and Head of the Hearst JV at Bauer Media and held leadership roles at ACP, Fairfax and EMAP Australia. Marina is also a former Chair of the Wests Tigers NRL Club, Chair of the Super Netball Commission and was the inaugural Chair of the UTS Centre for Media Transition Advisory Board.  She is a member of O'Connell Street Associates, Chief Executive Women (CEW) and the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).  Marina has been actively progressing equitable outcomes for women and culturally diverse Australians in her working life and as a volunteer for more than three decades.  If you can't tell, you're about to hear from one incredibly impressive lady. Our conversation is real, authentic and interesting as Marina has had one phenomenal career. But what I hope you also hear is that she's a really lovely person. Genuine, articulate about her values and such an advocate for women. It's an absolute pleasure to have her on the show - please enjoy this wonderful conversation with Marina Go.  Connect and find out more about Marina here;-We talked about Marina's new publication, a collaboration with some of her mates - find it here: https://tonicmag.com.au/Links and Social Media LInkedin: linkedin.com/in/marinagoTwitter: @marinasgoAnd for more information about the Wabi Sabi Series, please find us here:-Website - The Wabi Sabi Series Connect with us on Instagram here:- @thewabisabiseriesConnect with us on Facebook here - @thewabisabiseriesIf you have a burning topic you'd love society to talk more about, or know someone who'd be great to come on our podcast, drop us a line at  hello@wabisabiseries.com

Learn about the latest in local public affairs in about the time it takes for a coffee break! Brian Callanan of Seattle Channel and Kevin Schofield of Seattle City Council Insight take a deep dive on the Seattle City Council's budget cut proposals, including some feedback from Mayor-Elect Harrell, a homelessness update from Councilmember Andrew Lewis, a continuing defamation lawsuit involving Councilmember Kshama Sawant, and a study of how Seattle's 9-1-1 system could soon change. Plus: thoughts on a baked dish that's so good, it's huggable. If you like this podcast, please support us on Patreon! 

In this Sunday edition:  This week, in a 3 part series, Ethan Ward reported on the unique challenges faced by LGBTQ people experiencing homelessness. You'll hear from Lisa Chilton, a 63-year-old bisexual woman who couch-surfed for almost five years while dealing with health issues and trying to stay sane. Lisa has her own apartment now but is spending nearly 60% of her income on rent. The keys she's collected from friends' houses over the years? They all told her to keep them because she may need them again if the cost of housing continues to rise. There's also the trans and nonbinary unhoused population that faces even bigger barriers to housing -- from dealing with prejudice from landlords to a lack of shelter beds for people who don't identify as male or female. Ethan spoke with several experts who say the LGBTQ community needs more resources to address substance use, mental health, and health services.  But the series starts with Tryron Ramsey, who lived in a shelter for almost two years. Why? His grandfather found out he is gay and kicked him out two weeks before Thanksgiving in 2019. He considers himself lucky to be back in his own apartment now, but Tryron is one example of the thousands of youth who end up unhoused in Los Angeles each year -- many without anywhere to go because of a lack of shelter beds. This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people. Support the show: https://support.laist.com/laistnav

Air Date 11/12/2021 Today we take a look at the current state of homelessness in America and the best solution we currently know of to tackle the problem. Surprisingly simple, the best way to end homelessness is to give people homes. Be part of the show! Leave us a message at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com  Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows & Bonus Content) BestOfTheLeft.com/Refer Sign up, share widely, get rewards. It's that easy! CHECK OUT UNF*CKING THE REPUBLIC COFFEE! BestOfTheLeft.com/Advertise Sponsor the show! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Homelessness - Last Week Tonight - Air Date 11-1-21 With homelessness increasing nationwide, John Oliver takes a look at the way we discuss the unhoused, what policy failures are making the problem worse, and how we can help. Ch. 2: Should America Outlaw Homelessness - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 6-8-21 Homelessness is an epidemic in America “Housing First” is a the solution that has been embraced by countries around the world. Time to repudiate the failed Reaganomics experiment and take homelessness seriously again here in America. Ch. 3: Housing First - 99% Invisible - Air Date 12-8-20 In the 1980's, a psychologist named Sam Tsemberis was working with mentally ill homeless people on the streets of New York. Sometimes, when he thought it was necessary to keep someone safe, Sam would have people committed to a psychiatric hospital. Ch. 4: EXPOSED: These Rich Wall Street Billionaires Profit Off The Extreme Poverty They Caused! - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 10-15-21 We're seeing massive homelessness in cities across America because a handful of Wall Street billionaires want to make a killing - Will America remove housing from their clutches? Ch. 5: How Finland Ended Homelessness - Second Thought - Air Date 9-3-21 MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S) Ch. 6: The Criminalization of Poverty - Justice In America - Air Date 1-23-19 On this episode, we explore the countless ways the criminal justice system criminalizes poverty—and homelessness in particular. From what is considered criminal to how it is punished, people that are poor or in America are punished more. Ch. 7: Input from the unhoused may be crucial solution to homelessness in San Francisco - PBSNewsHour - Air Date 7-6-21 Correction: The introduction to this story stated that 35,000 people are without a place to live in San Francisco. In fact, that figure refers to the greater San Francisco Bay Area, including San Jose, Oakland and surrounding counties. FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 8: Final comments on the panicked flail of those who used to be ahead of the curve but have now been left behind MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions): Opening Theme: Loving Acoustic Instrumental by John Douglas Orr  Voicemail Music: Low Key Lost Feeling Electro by Alex Stinnent Activism Music: This Fickle World by Theo Bard (https://theobard.bandcamp.com/track/this-fickle-world) Closing Music: Upbeat Laid Back Indie Rock by Alex Stinnent   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

Since the pandemic began California has been ramping up its efforts to address its homelessness crisis, and there's been no shortage of new programs and grand pronouncements. But while a lot is changing -- and a lot more people are getting help -- thousands upon thousands remain on the street desperate for a home. On this edition of KCBS In Depth, we check in on one place where the pace of change on the homelessness front has been particularly fast recently: Santa Clara County.  Guests:  Consuelo Hernandez, director, Santa Clara County's Office of Supportive Housing Jennifer Loving, CEO, Destination: Home Richard Scott, homeless advocate | board member, Grace Solutions Host:Keith Menconi  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How to help veterans experiencing homelessness; better care for veterans with “invisible wounds”; data showing that veterans need more support when transitioning into civilian jobs; and a sneak peek at a Q&A with two RAND researchers who have served. For more information on this week's episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

Editor in Chief Matt Hall is joined by Chuck Todd, renowned journalist and host of America's longest-running TV show Meet the Press, to discuss the news program's upcoming documentary film festival.

We speak to Brendan Little, a member of the state's Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund Advisory Council, about how social connection and community can help people recover.

The most recent count of Oakland's homeless population in 2019 found 4071 unhoused people, an alarming 47% increase from two years prior.  In recent reporting, San Francisco Chronicle reporters put faces on those numbers, spending five months shadowing four Oaklanders who lost everything and are now unhoused in the communities they grew up in. Reporter Kevin Fagan will join us to share what he and his colleagues learned about how Leonard "Pumpkin" Ambrose, Delbra Taylor, Derrick Soo, and Gwyn Teninty became homeless after the age of fifty. And we'll talk with experts about the role healthcare, low wages, and lack of affordable housing play in Oakland's growing crisis.

In Part II with Michael Shellenberger about homelessness & drugs we get into why they don't break up mass tent encampments, the fentanyl epidemic in the U.S., the problem with collecting data on homeless, and more.

Governor Jared Polis has made reducing homelessness in Colorado a key focus of his budget for next fiscal year. One of the proposals he wants to see passed would spend $45 million transforming a former youth behavioral treatment center into a facility that could house hundreds of people who are homeless and living on the streets or in shelters across the state.  Polis envisions an all-encompassing recovery center with temporary housing, drug treatment and job-training programs. To read more go to coloradosun.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kristin gets a firsthand account of what it is like to be homeless on the streets in San Francisco, thanks to today's guest, Thomas Wolf, recovery and drug policy advocate. Thomas talks about his experience and what worked to get him on the road to recovery.

The Los Angeles City Council has passed a new policy giving Council members the power to target specific encampments for cleanup. While the effort might eventually result in less visible homelessness in some parts of the city, critics say it might be more in service of political gain than anything else. Guest: Benjamin Oreskes, Metro reporter at the LA Times. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you'll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Los Angeles City Council has passed a new policy giving Council members the power to target specific encampments for cleanup. While the effort might eventually result in less visible homelessness in some parts of the city, critics say it might be more in service of political gain than anything else. Guest: Benjamin Oreskes, Metro reporter at the LA Times. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you'll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Los Angeles City Council has passed a new policy giving Council members the power to target specific encampments for cleanup. While the effort might eventually result in less visible homelessness in some parts of the city, critics say it might be more in service of political gain than anything else. Guest: Benjamin Oreskes, reporter at the LA Times. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you'll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Brawn Body Podcast, Dan is joined by Tony Miller, founder and president of the American Heroes Foundation, for the 2021 Veteran's Day Special podcast episode.  The two will be discussing how the non-profit group was started, what issues veterans in America are currently facing, how AHF supports veterans, and what you can do to support the mission of AHF.  ALL proceeds from this episode will be donated to the American Heroes Foundation by Brawn Body one week after this episode airs. The more plays/downloads this episode gets, the more we earn from our sponsors! You can also purchase from any of our affiliate links below, or click the link below to support the podcast!  Tony himself knows what its like to be a veteran - he retired as a Special Operator for the USAF after 22 years of service. He was a business owner, and was involved in Corporate America Management. American Heroes Foundation is an Arizona based; IRS approved; 501(c)3. They are dedicated to supporting the Health and Wellness of Military Veterans and First Responders through raising funds, donating dollars and time to recipient Military Veteran and First Responder Organizations. The selected organizations will support Veteran and First Responder Physical, Mental, and Emotional health. As Tony points out, Our Veterans and First Responders need our support. We have to break the cycle of Suicide, Homelessness, and Helplessness of those who voluntarily and honorably serve to protect us.  For more on the American Heroes Foundation, you can check out their websites at americanheroesgolf.net and americanheroesfoundation.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AmericanHeroesFoundationInc  To keep up to date with everything we are currently doing on the podcast, be sure to subscribe and follow @brawnbody on social media! Make sure you don't miss next week's episode with Tony Miller, founder of the American Heroes Foundation, for a Veteran's Day Special! This episode is brought to you by CTM band recovery products - the EXACT soft tissue recovery technology used by Dan. CTM Band was founded by Dr. Kyle Bowling, a sports medicine practitioner who treats professional athletes (and was a guest on the Brawn Body Podcast!).  You can check out their website here: https://ctm.band/collections/ctm-band ... while you're there, be sure to use the coupon code "BRAWN10" for 10% off! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/daniel-braun/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/daniel-braun/support

Protect, serve, and love. We are proud of the unique partnership Southwest Station has built with Project Touch. In this episode of the RSO Roundup, find out how this effort is changing lives in our homeless community.

Crystal sits down with Amy Sundberg to walk through how the Seattle City budget process works as well as how and when to get involved in making your vision of the future a reality.  Note: This episode was recorded in late September and references parts of the process that have already happened. A key opportunity to provide public comment happens this week on Wednesday, November 10th at 5:30p so listen up and then make your voice heard! As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com. Find the host, Crystal Fincher on Twitter at @finchfrii. Subscribe to Notes from the Emerald City  and follow Amy on Twitter at @amysundberg. More info is available at officialhacksandwonks.com.   Resources Notes from the Emerald City - newsletter on Seattle government and policy: https://www.getrevue.co/profile/amysundberg Converge Media - Budget School: https://www.whereweconverge.com/post/understanding-the-city-of-seattle-budget-converge-media-launches-budget-school Seattle City Council - Budget Process: http://www.seattle.gov/council/issues/past-issues/budget-process Seattle City Council - Sign up for Public Comment (opens 2 hours before start of public comment period): https://www.seattle.gov/council/committees/public-comment “Seattle mayor proposes increasing police staffing in 2022 budget” by David Kroman from Crosscut: https://crosscut.com/news/2021/09/seattle-mayor-proposes-increasing-police-staffing-2022-budget Mayor Durkan's Proposed 2022 Budget: https://www.seattle.gov/city-budget-office/budget-archives/2022-proposed-budget Solidarity Budget: https://www.seattlesolidaritybudget.com/   Transcript [00:00:00] Crystal Fincher: Welcome to Hacks & Wonks. I'm Crystal Fincher, and I'm a political consultant and your host. On this show, we talk with policy wonks and political hacks to gather insight into local politics and policy in Washington state through the lens of those doing the work with behind-the-scenes perspectives on what's happening, why it's happening and what you can do about it. Full transcripts and resources referenced in the show are always available at officialhacksandwonks.com and in our episode notes. Today, we're thrilled to be joined once again by Amy Sundberg, author of Notes From the Emerald City and co-chair of the Seattle Committee of People Power Washington - Police Accountability. Thanks for joining us again, Amy. [00:00:51] Amy Sundberg: It's great to be here. [00:00:53] Crystal Fincher: Well, I am excited to have you here once again. We have spoken about the excellent newsletter that you have - your coverage consistently of City Council meetings, City meetings and hearings, and your live tweets, and recaps in your newsletter - which is an excellent resource for people who are looking to follow civic processes in the City of Seattle. Today, I'm excited to talk about the budget, which most people generally are not excited to talk about - the budget. But it's actually a really big deal. And that process is just kicking off here in the City of Seattle. And this is super consequential because it affects everything. This is how we determine what gets spent on what, who gets what and where and how, and who doesn't. And there's a lot involved with it - there's a lot of confusion. Because of that, a lot of people typically don't engage. And so I thought it'd be helpful to do this show today, just to give people an overview of what the budget is, how it's composed, just what's going on with it right now, and how they can get involved if they're looking to make a difference in the issues that they care about. And with that, I guess I would just start off by asking, what is the budget? What does it fund? How is it composed? [00:02:12] Amy Sundberg: Yeah. So I also am excited to talk about the budget today. Because you're right, it is very consequential. It makes a huge difference in individual's lives, which is something I think can get kind of lost in the weeds. But it does really impact every one of us who live in Seattle. So the budget, I mean, it is in many ways similar to a household budget that you might have for your own finances - in that it tracks what revenues the City is bringing in and then it tracks the expenditures - how that money is going to be spent over the course of a year. This budget that we're talking about will be for next year - 2022 - and it's a total of $6.6 billion. But only about $1.5 billion of that is in the General Fund, which is most of what the budget process is regarding - still a lot of money though. [00:03:17] Crystal Fincher: Mm-hmm [affirmative]. [00:03:19] Amy Sundberg: And it funds a lot of the services that we enjoy here in Seattle. And I'm just going to give you a - [00:03:27] Crystal Fincher: And some we don't. [00:03:28] Amy Sundberg: And some we don't. Yeah. Some we might not agree with - exactly. So it covers everything from transportation - so that's public transit, building and maintenance of roads, bridges, sidewalks, bicycle lanes, safety features. Funds libraries, one of my personal favorites. It funds parks and recreation. Homelessness services, including both shelter options and wraparound services - childcare assistance, food assistance, rental assistance, developing more affordable housing in our city. A small budget for arts and culture. A lot of offices - so the Office of Construction and Inspections, the Office of Planning and Community Development, the Office of Civil Rights. A lot of administration - so all of the City employees who work to run all of these offices. Public safety, and that isn't just the police department - that's also the fire department, that's 911 dispatch, that's the Office of Emergency Management, Seattle Municipal Court, the City Attorney's Office, and any alternate responses. So all of that is covered by the budget and more. [00:04:55] Crystal Fincher: Okay. And so that's a lot. And a lot of times, one of the questions that I've heard frequently is, "Okay, well, if you've got $6 billion and it's a huge number. If the Office of Arts and Culture is asking for this tiny amount, why can't you just move some money over here, over there?" Can you just take money from one department and give it to another? How does the budget work? How does the General Fund work? [00:05:26] Amy Sundberg: So the reason I specify that only a $1.5 billion was in the General Fund is because that's basically what the Councilmembers are deciding what to spend during this budget process. A lot of that other money is already allocated, and it's not allowed to be spent for anything else. Some of that is because it's - I mean, it comes from various taxes. And as part of those taxes, there was an agreement that it would be spent only on certain things. And part of it is because certain fees that you might pay will go back to fund whatever department they came from. So if you pay a parking ticket, that's going to go back into the Department of Transportation, and that's the only place that money can go. Or if you pay a park fee to rent out a picnic area, that's going to go right back into Parks. So a lot of the money is tied up in various ways. And one of the biggest examples of that is utilities - Seattle Light and also the Public Utilities. They generate a lot of revenue - from your electricity bill - and that's put right back into their budget, so that's not available for other uses. [00:06:44] Crystal Fincher: So some money comes with - by law - with strings attached. You can't decide to spend it in a different way. Some money comes with no strings attached. That no strings attached money is the General Fund. And that is where the conversation centers at times like now, when we just heard that the mayor announced what her budget was. Really, when they're talking about more money for this, less money for this, it is really in that $1.5 billion allocated to the general fund. [00:07:14] Amy Sundberg: Exactly. And the budget that just came out this week - that's the mayor's proposed budget. So she's put together kind of a proposal - she's talked to all of these City departments that I was talking about and heard kind of what they need, what they've been spending. And there's a Budget Office of the City that looks through all these things, thinks about what the priorities are, and puts together this proposed budget - that then is transmitted to the City Council to review and consider. [00:07:46] Crystal Fincher: So let's talk more about the process that is just kicking off now. The mayor proposes a budget - what happens between, "Okay, now this budget is proposed" and when a budget is approved and money starts getting spent? [00:08:05] Amy Sundberg: So it is a about eight week process to approve next year's budget. And it's supposed to be done - I think by law it has to be done by early December. But we're expecting it to be done the Monday before Thanksgiving. So exactly eight weeks. And basically, the Council will go through an eight week deliberative process about the budget. Built into that process are lots of opportunities for the public to weigh in on what their priorities might be. And we can talk about that a little bit more later. But also they - so right now this week, we're going through and having presentations from different City departments - to kind of hear about this proposed budget and why it is the way it is, and what these departments were thinking about in terms of these dollars being spent. After that, we go into Issue Identification. So that's when kind of Councilmembers flag different areas that they want to dig deeper into to see what the impacts might be, different investments they might want to make, things they might not want to spend as much money on, and get a lot of analysis from their Central staff. Then they propose some amendments to the proposed budget and they discuss those amendments. And eventually the Committee Chair, who is Councilmember Mosqueda, creates a Balancing Package. So what that is - is basically, she's kind of looking at these conversations they've been having, and looking at Issue Identification, looking at the amendments that they've been discussing, and she tries to find all the areas in which they have a general consensus as a Council in terms of how they want the money to be spent - what they can all agree on pretty easily. And that will all go into this Balancing Package. And it has to be balanced - so it has to - it can't be - you can't spend more than you have. Then there's another round of amendments and they have to have at least three Councilmembers who will sign on to each of these amendments so that you don't get any - basically to save time so that there's not tons of amendments that only one Councilmember is going to support and have no chance of actually making it into the budget. They vote on those amendments, they vote on the whole package in Committee, and then it moves to the Full Council where they do the final vote. And it's important to remember that that final vote on the budget has to be passed by a three-quarters vote, which is not true of most legislation that goes through City Council. So seven out of nine Councilmembers have to vote to approve the budget in order for it to move forward. [00:11:14] Crystal Fincher: Okay. That's good to know. And that is different than most other stuff, like you just said. And FYI, I mean, this is a lot of detail - it's a complicated process. You are doing an excellent job breaking it down for us in a way that the average person can digest. And I should mention, we're talking about the budget - Converge Media has a very detailed multi-hour series that really gets into the granular detail of the entire budget process. But wanted to just give people, here right now, the opportunity to get an idea of what the overall process is to make it easier to understand and engage with if you want to. Okay. So we're at the point where we understand the timeline. It actually sounds like it's important to get involved earlier in the process so that if you see an area in the budget that looks concerning to you, you can communicate with your Councilmembers, flag that as something that you feel is a major concern. Hopefully, get at least three Councilmembers who are willing to say, "Yeah, what is currently down on paper does not look good to me. Let's actually hold this as something that we're not saying we're good with and that we'd really like to hopefully change and reserve for further discussion and amendment." So what does that timeline look like in there before they have to - when should people be getting involved with this process and when is it best? [00:12:51] Amy Sundberg: To be honest, I think that people should be involved throughout the process for the optimal results. I realize people only have limited bandwidth, but I think there are important things going on throughout the eight weeks. I do agree with you that if you get in earlier, it kind of flags for Councilmembers what their constituents want, right? What is important, what are the actual community values? But, I mean, also sometimes towards the end of the process, the Councilmembers benefit from having a little public pressure to kind of push them maybe a little outside of their comfort zone or to try to just make sure they stick with what they were kind of thinking of. Sometimes they get a little cold feet and need that extra support at the end. So I think, more than a specific time, is if you can get involved at any time, that's definitely better than if you don't get involved at all. [00:13:59] Crystal Fincher: That makes sense. And you just raised another good point - that Councilmembers need to hear from you. They need to know where the community is - and pressure, accountability, communication, whatever you want to call it - is necessary and makes a difference. We saw in the - was it the last budget go around? [00:14:18] Amy Sundberg: It was, yeah. [00:14:18] Crystal Fincher: Here where - [00:14:19] Amy Sundberg: It was a big deal. [00:14:21] Crystal Fincher: Public pressure made the difference between a vote to reduce funding for the SPD - in one of the only cities in the country to actually take that vote - and have the Council united on that with a budget vote that requires seven out of nine members, which is a really big deal. It took every single bit of public pressure to the very last moment to get that accomplished. So it's not something that's futile. It has made a difference. We talk about voting and candidates a lot and I certainly believe in that, but that is not enough. People have to stay engaged throughout these processes and hold Councilmembers accountable to their promises and to their constituents. And so the more involvement - the more consistently people can be involved - the better. Now we just talked about dates for things and when that's going to come about - let's talk about how the budget relates to public safety, which there's actually a lot of news about right now and where a lot of people are concerned. [00:15:29] Amy Sundberg: Yeah. So, I mean, there's been a big discussion in Seattle about public safety overall. And there have been demands from some community members - and specifically the Solidarity Budget - as a group who have been pushing for a divest and reinvest strategy for the Seattle Police Department. And so what that means is basically taking some of the money out of the Seattle Police Department and investing it in other community-led public safety alternatives. The idea is that true public safety is not always supported at its best by SPD. And that there are other solutions that might give us better and more equitable outcomes for everyone that's living in the City. So a big point of contention then ends up always being the Seattle Police Department's budget. I will say that last year, 22% of Seattle's General Fund was given to SPD, which is - 22% is a significant percentage of the overall. [00:16:57] Crystal Fincher: It's a significant percentage. [00:16:58] Amy Sundberg: Of money. And that being said, it was - 2021 was the first year that we saw the SPD budget go down in actual dollars, as opposed to increasing. Now that's not true if you factor in inflation, but it's still very significant. In 20 years, that was the first time that that happened. And that was because of community, because - frankly, because of all of the protests for racial justice that were happening all last summer and fall - put enough pressure to get that change brought into reality. [00:17:40] Crystal Fincher: Mm-hmm [affirmative]. [00:17:40] Amy Sundberg: But that being said, no police officers were laid off. There was talk of doing that - there was talk of out-of-order layoffs. It turned out that wasn't a thing that is legally possible and no officers got laid off. There were increased number of attrition - so a lot of officers were choosing voluntarily to leave for various reasons. So we did get some shrinkage of the force, but that was the primary driver of it. [00:18:17] Crystal Fincher: Okay, so - oh, go ahead - [00:18:22] Amy Sundberg: So I was just going to say - and so this year we have to then revisit that entire conversation when we're deciding how to allocate public safety money. And the mayor's proposed budget kind of gives us a starting point so to speak, of where that conversation is going to start. And the total SPD budget is only - she's only a proposed an increase of $2.5 million. So it would be going up again - but that's a fairly small amount in the grand scheme of how much it often goes up from year to year. [00:19:07] Crystal Fincher: So less than what people say, but still not reducing the funding of the police, which is what- [00:19:12] Amy Sundberg: Yes. It's definitely. [00:19:13] Crystal Fincher: - a number of Seattle voters have voted for - and voted for Councilmembers to enact. And certainly is part of a big conversation that we're having right now. But an area where - Durkan has seemed pretty determined not to reduce funding. So given that it is that amount, it seems like the focus is more on being able to say that she's not reducing funding of SPD instead of having that really fund anything substantial and with that amount of money. [00:19:50] Amy Sundberg: Yes. I mean, and it's definitely not divestment - it is holding fairly steady. And you'll see one of the interesting things in terms of media coverage - you'll see that a lot of media saying she's proposing addition of 35 net officers. What that actually means is hiring 125 officers next year, because they're anticipating 90 separations - 90 officers are going to leave. They're going to hire 125, so that's 35 additional officers - that's what she's proposed. And there's a couple - on the one hand, you can say, "Well, they're hiring a bunch more officers instead of either just letting it stay the same or reducing." And then another narrative that I'm sure people will be hearing in upcoming weeks is, "Well, but there's actually less funded positions for police officers in this budget than there was in the last budget." In 2021, there were 1,357 FTEs - so sworn officer positions funded, not actual officers that we had - but the money was there for them. And this year there's only 1,230 funded. So that's going to be one place that I think we're going to see pushback in terms of - actually we're shrinking the SPD - because we don't have these positions that are open and not filled that we're still pretending might be able to be filled. But I would like to say the counter-argument to that view is that there's a long pipeline for getting new officers into the force because of just all the training and all of the vetting that has to be done, et cetera. So if we're already lower in terms of how many officers we have - we can spend that time building to a higher number of officers again, or we can spend that time and that money instead building alternate community led responses. There is a choice there. [00:22:08] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely - and certainly an area where people can make their opinions heard. And this year is - "exciting" is always interesting to use in terms of a budget for wonky people like us - but this time there actually is a reason to be excited, I think, because there is a budget that's being introduced by organizations in the community called the Solidarity Budget. What is that? [00:22:36] Amy Sundberg: So the Solidarity Budget is really exciting - and it's a coalition of groups who have put together basically a plan of how community would like to see the money be spent in Seattle in 2022. And it's a coalition of many groups. I know they had a goal to get a hundred endorsing organizations - I don't know if they quite reached that yet. But it's organizations like 350 Seattle, Decriminalize Seattle, the Black Action Coalition, the Transit Riders Union, et cetera, et cetera - it's a large number of local organizations. And they have various - basically policy and budgetary goals that they present in this document, called the Solidarity Budget, that asks for various investments into community. And part of it is based on the idea of divesting from the police department, as well as the Municipal Court and the City's Attorney's office - and then reinvesting that money back into community priorities, whether that be housing, Green New Deal - or other priorities - alternate responses for public safety, et cetera. And there's a 65 page document kind of laying out all of their ideas. [00:24:11] Crystal Fincher: So that's really interesting, and we're probably going to be seeing an increased level of advocacy and activism because of that - in addition to just more people being interested, particularly after the activism with recent budgets and what's been going on there. So as people look to get more familiar with the Solidarity Budget, the City budget, and what's going on, what do things look like in the next couple weeks in terms of activity with the budget and how should people go about making their concerns known? [00:24:48] Amy Sundberg: Yeah. There's several options. So this week, we're just having overviews from the departments. So basically, we're all getting up to speed on what this proposed budget is and what the City departments think they need. And then next week we kind of get a breather to process through it all. And the week after that, which is the week of October 11th - then we start diving into Issue Identification, so getting deeper into the weeds of these various issues. There are several opportunities to get involved as a private citizen. There are three public hearings during this budget season, and the first one is October 12th - so a great time to get in early - at 5:30 PM. And then there's another public hearing - November 10th at 5:30 PM. And the last one is November 18th during the day at 9:30 AM. So if daytime is better for you, they wanted to give both options. Also, all of the budget meetings have a 20-30 minute public comment first thing in the morning at 9:30. But even if you don't want to give public comment, you can also - you can call your Councilmember's office, you can email them - I email mine all the time. You can set up meetings with them - some of them have regular office hours. I know some of them go to Farmer's Markets occasionally - I know the weather is shifting, so I don't know how much longer that will be going on. Sometimes they have Budget Town Halls in a district that you can attend and ask questions or make comment at that point. So there are a lot of ways to kind of let your Councilmember know what you're thinking and what your concerns and priorities are. [00:26:41] Crystal Fincher: Yeah. And I think it is really important to understand that your Councilmember is your Councilmember. They're your representative and they need to know what you think in order to represent you. And if something isn't clear, you can ask them questions and ask them to explain some things - they really are there to serve you. And this budget is there to serve everyone in the City - that should be the goal. And so I hope that people engage with this and just start to get more familiar with what's being talked about and what's not. Because they're so used to this process almost being opaque with hardly anyone paying attention. And it's exciting when more people get involved, because generally that produces a budget that addresses the needs of more of the community. [00:27:31] Amy Sundberg: Yeah. And it's exciting when people realize that this actually really affects them personally. This isn't just some abstract cloud that you don't have to think about. It's something that is going to impact your daily life in the future. [00:27:45] Crystal Fincher: Yep. Thank you. So thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us today - appreciate it and we will certainly be providing all of the links to everything we talked about here in the show in the episode notes. And if you have any questions or any specific questions - issues you want addressed - feel free to shoot us a message. Message me on Twitter and we will continue to stay engaged here also. Thanks so much, Amy. [00:28:11] Amy Sundberg: Thanks for having me. [00:28:12] Crystal Fincher: I thank you all for listening to Hacks & Wonks on KVRU 105.7 FM. The producer of Hacks & Wonks is Lisl Stadler with assistance from Shannon Cheng. You can find me on Twitter @finchfrii, spelled F-I-N-C-H F-R-I-I. Now you can follow Hacks & Wonks on iTunes, Spotify, wherever else you get your podcast - just type "Hacks and Wonks" into the search bar. Be sure to subscribe to get our Friday almost-live shows and our midweek show delivered to your podcast feed. If you like us, leave a review wherever you listen to Hacks & Wonks. You can also get a full transcript of this episode and links to the resources referenced in the show at officialhacksandwonks.com and in the episode notes. Thanks for tuning in. We'll talk to you next time.

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Ayaan speaks with Michael Shellenberger about the drug addiction crisis taking over major U.S. cities. They also discuss the results of the Virginia elections, the potential of a political realignment and the COP26 conference. Michael Shellenberger is the founder and president of Environmental Progress and is the author of Apocalypse Never and San Fransicko. He […]

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