(The Center Square) – Describing it as a “total failure,” the Yakima City Council passed a resolution on Tuesday calling for immediate reforms to the Yakima County Homeless Coalition.
Assistant Mayor Matt Brown said his resolution speaks for itself. People are dying on the streets, according to him, as cities across the county grapple with the coalition’s “poorly executed plan.” He said he wants to give the cities a seat at the table after the coalition failed to effectively address the crisis despite increased funding.
According to the resolution, the Five-Year Homeless Housing Strategic Plan “has lacked clear, measurable outcomes from the start.” It argues that the coalition’s funding doesn’t reflect its work, nor has it improved the coordination of services or financial accountability.
“This five-year plan is a hefty lift. This last one was, this one will be, and we don’t have an opportunity to keep hoping we get this right. We have to get this right,” Brown said. “People are dying on our streets; there’s no more just hoping that we’re going to do this correctly.”
Yakima County is set to adopt a new plan by the end of the year, so Brown wants at least one person dedicated solely to homelessness. The intention isn’t to gut services or funding. The council wants confidence in the coalition, which it currently lacks.
The resolution calls for an independent financial audit, clear performance benchmarks, greater transparency, prioritizing input from member cities most affected, outcomes from the last three years and a new leader to replace oversight from the county’s Human Services Department.
Yakima County Commissioner Kyle Curtis and Human Services Director Esther Magasis fielded questions Tuesday. Curtis, who sits on the coalition’s executive committee with Brown, offered insight into the matter from the county’s perspective while acknowledging the city’s concerns.
“We need some structural changes,” Curtis told the council. “One of them being that the executive committee needs to actually have purpose.”
Magasis said the coalition provides recommendations, but the county commissioners get the final say over spending. The group helps to score applications, but the commissioners could throw that out and award as they see fit, even if the coalition and member cities disagree.
Brown said the county didn’t build metrics into the requests for proposals until he pushed for them. Even after the change, he indicated there was still no accountability. Mayor Patricia Byers said the city has a responsibility to its taxpayers and reserves the right to pull funding.
Curtis said he wasn’t there to defend the coalition. He acknowledged the lack of measurable outcomes and supported reform. Magasis said the last plan fell short, especially with metrics, but having gone through the process twice, she feels the county is more prepared this time.
“My idea of a successful homeless program is when I drive down Naches Avenue or Yakima Avenue or 1st Street,” Councilmember Rick Glenn said, “and I don’t see homeless people wandering around on the streets.”
