Concerns about proposed PSH housing on Mercer Island/ Letter to the editor

Published 10:30 am Friday, July 17, 2026

I share the concerns voiced by many others about the proposed PSH housing (permanent supportive housing) for Mercer Island. In my career as a primary care physician, I was the director of an alcohol and drug rehabilitation in South Seattle for several years. Patients were admitted for 2-3 weeks for detox and treatment with ongoing therapy after discharge and most people did quite well.

However, the types of drugs like fentanyl with its devastating effects on the human body and brain are quite different and resistant to treatment. Some of the proposed 185 residents of PSH housing will probably be addicted to this substance among others since there is no requirement for sobriety or drug treatment to enter these facilities.

PSH is designed for people experiencing chronic homelessness who also have disabilities, serious mental illness, substance use disorders, or other complex health problems. A federal study revealed that 55% of PSH tenants in one cohort had mental health problems as well as substance abuse problems.

One has to look no farther than the Plymouth Housing PSH in Eastgate to see the potential harm to our community. This Eastgate location triggers the most 911 calls in Bellevue and is responsible for drug overdoses, fights, and recently housed a homeless murder suspect who remains on the loose.

As a physician, I sympathize with the plight of homeless people, but I believe they need treatment and a degree of sobriety as well as housing. A facility like this, as it is currently configured, would change the nature of Mercer Island forever.

In short, I don’t look forward to explaining the “fentanyl fold” to my granddaughter when I take her to the playground at Mercerdale Park, but I fear that will be an outcome of the planned PSH housing.

John Morris M.D.

Mercer Island