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How Seattle's Mayoral Candidates Hope To Solve Homelessness

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Will James
/
KNKX
An encampment on the western slope of Beacon Hill, near I-90

As soon as Seattle's next mayor takes office, she'll be confronted with a scene like the one on the western slope of Beacon Hill. 

Dozens of tents and shelters, some made of tarps and rugs, rise from the blackberry brambles along I-90. Scattered among them are mattresses, bicycles, dolls, and piles of garbage. 

This is home to some of the estimated 3,900 Seattle residents living outside. 

The Seattle area has the nation's third-largest homeless population, after New York and Los Angeles, according to a study by the real-estate company Zillow. 

Seattle's next mayor will be judged on how she manages a crisis that has risen to be one of the most visible and polarizing issues in the city. 

KNKX reporter Will James looked into what the candidates, urban planner Cary Moon and former U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan, are saying about the solutions. 

Will James reports and produces special projects, including podcasts and series, for KNKX. He created and hosted the Outsiders podcast, chronicling homelessness in Olympia for more than a year, in partnership with The Seattle Times.
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