Woke Seattle now in desperate scramble to sweep growing homeless population under the rug before the World Cup

Seattle is rushing to place every homeless person into shelters ahead of the nearly 750,000 visitors expected to arrive for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Business leaders and nonprofit organizations are intensifying efforts to move people experiencing homelessness off the streets of Pioneer Square in Washington State ahead of the June 11 World Cup kickoff, according to The Seattle Times.

The neighborhood, famous for its late-1800s Romanesque Revival buildings and historic status, has evolved into a major hub for Seattle’s homeless community over the years, with four shelters located there.

'I like it here,' Larry, who has been homeless on and off, told Real Change News last year, noting he is among many who are drawn to the area.

'I could live in Kent or somewhere, but here I can walk to wherever I want to go,' he added.

Pioneer Square is expected to see heavy World Cup crowds, with watch parties and fan events adding pressure to an already busy area near Lumen Field, along with increased security and nearby match-related events. 

Several nonprofits have teamed up with a business lobbying group to relocate every unhoused person living within a half-mile of the area, from Alaskan Way South to Fourth Avenue South. 

City leaders have described the move as both a public safety and logistical effort tied to managing one of the largest events Seattle has ever hosted. 

The game plan is simple: outreach workers and shelter providers focus on one area and try to help every homeless person get inside by building trust and relationships. 

'We do know how to do this,' Lisa Daugaard, co-executive director of the nonprofit Purpose Dignity Action, told The Seattle Times.

Last month, members of Purpose Dignity Action began going out to the historic neighborhood at dawn to speak with unsheltered residents, ultimately compiling a list of 40 people. 

According to the group, the majority of individuals had significant mental health or substance use issues, and a lack of shelters capable of meeting those levels of need in Seattle has further complicated the crisis. 

'All the folks we’re working with have experienced the shelter system in one way or another,' Daugaard told the outlet. 'And there’s been barriers or it hasn’t worked out for them.'

This time, The Salvation Army and the Downtown Emergency Service Center are pooling shelter space, giving outreach teams more options to match people with the right placement. 

Out of 40 people identified in Pioneer Square, 19 have already been placed in shelters by Tuesday, while two others were reunited with family in other cities, according to the outlet.

'If we could do this, we could probably work through any list,' Daugaard added.

In some cases, individuals are placed in tiny homes with limited case management support, while those with more complex needs are provided private shelter rooms with on-site mental health and addiction treatment services. 

Michelle Anne Chambers, 55, who had been sleeping in a tent with her senior dog, recently learned she would be moving into a tiny home just weeks after meeting with an outreach worker. 

'She asked me some questions. I talked with her. And then bam,' Chambers told the outlet. 'All my prayers are being answered.'

Daugaard said she hopes the project succeeds and proves to city leaders that Seattle can effectively address homelessness when the right supports are in place without excessive requirements. 

While the deadline is the highly anticipated World Cup, Daugaard said the group is looking beyond it, calling the project a 'once-in-a-generation' opportunity. 

Mayor Katie Wilson pledged to deliver 1,000 new temporary shelter beds by the end of the year, with an additional goal of 500 more beds ready by the start of the FIFA games, according to the outlet.

Although the goal fell short, Wilson later announced that 175 beds have been added so far, with a few more expected soon, and said her team remains committed to the overall target. 

But it still remains unclear how the beds will be used. Daugaard and other providers hope to develop a more service-oriented shelter system designed to help individuals reach stability, even if it involves higher costs.

The model for the project was piloted by Purpose Dignity Action during the pandemic, when encampments grew rapidly due to 'shelter-in-place' orders. 

The nonprofit cleared downtown encampments by moving people into shelter instead of pushing them along. Seattle, by contrast, typically gives 24 to 72 hours’ notice before clearing encampments or RVs, whether or not people have shelter.

Purpose Dignity Action was later brought on through a state program to handle encampments along highways and bridges in the same way.

But those programs ended last year, and the Downtown Seattle Association, a business lobbying group, has proposed reviving the model - this time with added urgency due to the major sporting event. 

Past efforts using a similar model have already shown success, including Purpose Dignity Action’s pandemic-era work downtown.

At the time, outreach workers identified 428 people in encampments, and 77 percent of them entered shelter. Meanwhile, the statewide program focused on highways and bridges brought 80 percent indoors, according to The Seattle Times.

But for the 40 people within the section of Pioneer Square, they’ve quickly seen success, moving almost half of the people into shelter within a few weeks. 

Still, one of the biggest remaining questions is long-term funding.

Federal pandemic relief funded the nonprofit’s downtown work, but the Seattle City Council balked at spending $10 million to keep it going, according to the outlet.

As budgets tightened, Washington slashed funding from $75 million to $45 million, halting new outreach so resources could support people already in shelter.

In turn, government leaders have been responding to growing complaints about encampments by forcing unhoused people to move if they do not immediately accept an available shelter bed. 

Daugaard said that for the Pioneer Square project, the most significant expense in reaching more people will be the shelter capacity required to make it successful. 

The effort is currently being funded through existing sources, including some money shifted from previously approved city contracts with the mayor’s office’s approval.

But with added legal, housing, medical and behavioral health services, shelters can cost $45,000 per unit per year - or nearly $90,000 at the highest level of care, according to the outlet. 

That is the type of shelter Wilson and her staff have said they aim to create for the shelter surge, but they have not released details on how many units will include those services or where the additional funding will come from. 

For now, the mayor’s office is backing the Pioneer Square project with shelter space usually used for encampment clearings - efforts aimed more at freeing up public space rather than tackling homelessness. 

Those clearings are continuing ahead of the FIFA games. 

Meanwhile, Deputy Mayor Brian Surratt said that while the city is excited about the effort, he would not fully commit to adopting the model as Seattle’s main approach to the growing homelessness crisis, according to The Seattle Times.

'It’s really about just a mindset and a level of desire and willingness to coordinate,' he told the outlet.