Like Many U.S. Cities, Seattle Struggles With Crime And Homelessness During Pandemic Era SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – MARCH 13: Andrea Suarez tries to talk a homeless man, 24, out of injecting methamphetamine on March 13, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. Widespread drug addiction is endemic in Seattle’s large homeless community, which the city is currently trying to move out from shared public spaces like sidewalks and parks. Suarez is the executive director of the non-profit We Heart Seattle, which stages trash cleanups, often at Seattle’s many homeless encampments. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
Kevin Dahlgren comforts Andrea Suarez after her car was burglarized on March 12, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. Suarez’s non-profit, We Heart Seattle, was staging a trash clean-up at a homeless encampment when the incident happened. According to a recent report commissioned by Seattle Councilmember Andrew Lewis, the COVID-19 pandemic put undue pressure on the city’s shelter system and delayed funds for new housing, leading to an increase in homelessness. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
Andrea Suarez dismantles a tent as garbage lies piled at a homeless encampment on March 13, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. The accumulation of garbage at such sites has become a major issue in Seattle as the city tries to move the unhoused out of shared public spaces. Suarez is the executive director of We Heart Seattle, a non-profit that stages trash cleanups across the city. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
Kevin Dahlgren visits an encampment to speak with residents about moving to a homeless shelter on March 12, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. Dahlgren, a community health services advisor, was working with the non-profit We Heart Seattle, which stages trash cleanups at encampments across the city. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
Kevin Dahlgren, a community health services advisor, assists a homeless woman who had been sleeping on a bench on March 12, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. Dahlgren gave the woman a ride to a homeless shelter. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
In an aerial view, people collect garbage from a homeless encampment on March 12, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. The non profit We Heart Seattle staged the trash cleanup, using volunteers as well as homeless residents of the camp, which they paid with gift cards. The city government is currently working to remove such encampments from shared spaces throughout Seattle. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
People collect garbage from a homeless encampment on March 12, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. The non-profit We Heart Seattle staged the trash cleanup, using volunteers as well as homeless residents of the camp, who they paid with gift cards. The city government is currently working to remove such encampments from shared spaces throughout Seattle. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
People collect garbage from a homeless encampment on March 12, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. The non-profit We Heart Seattle staged the trash cleanup, using volunteers as well as homeless residents of the camp, which they paid with gift cards. The city government is currently working to remove such encampments from shared spaces throughout Seattle. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
A homeless woman helps remove trash from an encampment on March 12, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. The non profit We Heart Seattle staged the trash cleanup, using volunteers as well as homeless residents of the camp, which they paid with gift cards. The city government is currently working to remove such encampments from shared spaces throughout Seattle. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
A volunteer removes trash from a homeless encampment on March 12, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. The non-profit We Heart Seattle staged the trash cleanup. The city government is currently working to remove such encampments from shared spaces throughout Seattle. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
Heroin syringes fill a bucket after volunteers collected them at a homeless encampment on March 13, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. The accumulation of garbage at such sites has become a major issue in Seattle as the city tries to move the unhoused out of shared public spaces. The non-profit We Heart Seattle stages trash cleanups across the city. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
