Homeless encampments have become an increasingly common sight in the Green Lake neighborhood, forcing citizens and the Blanchet community to confront this urgent issue. The Mayoral election is coming around the corner and educating ourselves about who the best candidate is is important to find a solution.  

The Bishop Blanchet community as well as people who live in Green Lake, have been impacted by the issue. Blanchet cross country has run Greenlake for years, but encampments have recently taken over Lower Woodland in the summer of 2021. Blanchet and along with other schools have moved cross country meets to Magnuson Park because city permits approved that the area was too dangerous for students to run. 

Altogether, Seattle-King County has over 11,000 individuals experiencing homelessness since June 2021. People have fallen into homelessness for different reasons. Root causes are lack of affordable housing, mental health issues, addiction, loss of jobs from COVID-19, and many more. Raising awareness of the crisis is important so we can make solutions to help resolve the problem. For example researching mayor candidates who will serve better for this issue, offer designated tent cities, and bring job opportunities to people who need a second chance at making change in their life.