Tonight’s Ballard District Council meeting to focus on homelessness in Ballard

Meghan Walker Ballard

Tonight (Feb. 10) is the monthly Ballard District Council meeting, which will be broadcast on the BDC YouTube channel. The meeting will include a discussion with legislators from three different levels of local government.

Washington State Senator Reuven Carlyle, King County Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles, and Seattle City Councilmember Andrew Lewis will be discussing how issues of homelessness, drug addiction and untreated mental illness.

This month, the BDC will include a wider group of attendees live on the call; they’ll admit the first 30 people who log in to the Zoom call between 6:45 and 7pm. The committee will take questions from participants during the community Q&A portion of the meeting. The meeting will also be archived for later viewing on the BDC YouTube channel.

Here’s the agenda:

  • 7-7:05 Welcoming remarks (Brent Lackey, President, BDC)
  • 7:05-7:25 Opening remarks from legislators
  • 7:25-7:50 Panel discussion — questions from BDC Executive Board
  • 7:50-8:25 Community Q&A
  • 8:25-8:30 Closing remarks

“We hope this will be a valuable continuation of information and discussions from our December meeting (re: supportive housing/shelter and homelessness services in Ballard),” the BDC shares on their website.

The BDC has asked the panel of elected leaders, “to talk about how local government is working to provide more effective and immediate relief for:

  • people living unsheltered
  • people with untreated mental illness and severe addiction
  • health/safety/environmental impacts in local parks and public spaces
  • crime and other impacts to businesses and residents

What bills or other legislative actions should the Ballard community be aware of, to provide constructive feedback and support, in these areas?”

If you want your questions included in the discussion, email info@ballarddistrict.org.

Photo: BDC Meeting event post on Facebook