Tackling homelessness
Homelessness has long been a critical election issue for other communities such as Seattle and Spokane. However, increasing unsheltered homelessness — which has become more visible in downtown Yakima — has made it an important issue for the Yakima City Council as well.
Nearly a third of Yakima County’s 554 unhoused households counted in early 2022 were unsheltered — living outside or in vehicles or abandoned buildings. And 73% of those unsheltered households included those identified as chronically homeless.
Like other parts of the state, the Yakima Valley is dealing with rising housing costs. In the past several years, city staff have worked to revise codes and make
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