Speak or send written comments before the July 21 vote on PSH and shelter code changes /Letter to the editor

Published 7:00 am Monday, July 13, 2026

The city council is considering code changes to comply with new state law which would allow low-barrier permanent supportive housing, or PSH, in residential neighborhoods without a public hearing. They would also remove Mercer Island’s existing 600-foot buffer for homeless shelters near places where children gather.

PSH is not ordinary affordable housing for families, seniors or workers. These facilities allow drug use, have no employment requirement and are intended for individuals with mental and behavioral issues, substance-abuse issues and criminal histories. People in crisis need housing, treatment and support. But residential neighborhoods near homes, schools, parks, daycares, trails and businesses are not the right places to meet those needs without sacrificing neighborhood safety and stability.

This affects cities across Washington, but it is especially damaging for Mercer Island. We are a small residential island without an appropriate location that is not close to homes, schools, parks, trails, senior centers or businesses. We also do not have the scale of police, fire and medical services to handle the demands these facilities would bring.

Safety is one of the main reasons families choose Mercer Island to raise children and seniors choose Mercer Island to retire. Children, seniors and other vulnerable residents can walk, bike, enjoy parks and move around the community with a level of safety that is increasingly rare.

We have seen parts of Seattle, including the International District and First Hill, where street disorder, open drug use, prostitution, violent crime and other public-safety problems have changed neighborhoods for the worse. We should not import those problems into Mercer Island and pretend our community will stay the same.

Residents should ask city council to do more than comply quietly. Councilmembers should use their relationships with state lawmakers, lead the coalition already formed through the Association of Washington Cities, and push Olympia to revise HB 2266 to restore local authority, public input and practical siting safeguards to protect residential neighborhoods.

This is not about denying help to people in crisis. It is about finding a better way without sacrificing residential neighborhoods and places where children gather.

Sincerely,

Matt and Linnea Augustine, John Hamer and Mariana Parks, Marissa Beck Gandert and Nate Gandert, Lauren Katz and Micky Treves, Todd and Hyo Yang Ann White, Janet Schoch, Mary Smersh, Adelina Karavai