Will a permit program with new policies and rules reduce RV homelessness? City Council briefing tomorrow

Would creating a permit program for RV dwellers – with policies and rules to follow to get/keep one – help reduce their prevalence on Seattle streets and get them into shelter/housing? That’s at the heart of a proposal that will be presented to the City Council Public Safety Committee tomorrow (9:30 am Tuesday, August 11). It’s titled the Vehicle Resident Assistance Program. It would have six components – a major one deals with parking rules, and what a special permit would enable eligible RV residents to do:

The proposal is from northwest Seattle Councilmember Dan Strauss, who focused on the “pathway to housing” aspects of the package in this announcement.If you’re wondering who would enforce the rules:

See the full slide deck for tomorrow’s meeting here. This won’t be voted on – it’s just a briefing/discussion; the committee might vote next month. Tomorrow’s agenda, meantime, explains how to watch and/or comment; it also includes links to the draft legislation that would comprise this package of proposals.

J August 10, 2026 (8:25 pm)

How about we just enforce the laws that already exist?

K August 11, 2026 (5:33 am)

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Because housed people don’t want their oversized boats, long-neglected “project” vehicles, and unpermitted PODs removed. We need laws that only apply to poor people.
- Derp August 11, 2026 (8:46 am)
  
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  I really hope you are being sarcastic

Ronald August 10, 2026 (8:35 pm)

This is a joke, right?

EVGuy August 10, 2026 (9:04 pm)

“Would making a new law and process, for the people who are already breaking the existing laws, be effective?” Gee I dunno, but, apparently the solution to people breaking the law is to just give them a permit to otherwise ignore it. I’m sure all those industrial zone occupants will be thrilled to have permanent RV fixtures outside.

Not in Your Neighborhood August 10, 2026 (9:10 pm)

More sweeping the city’s problems into the Duwamish Valley.

Legit owner August 10, 2026 (9:49 pm)

So when I need to park my small RV on the street, to make room for a contractor to park a work truck at my house, I will have to spend the day staying one step ahead of parking enforcement instead of getting anything useful done?

And do we expect parking enforcement to actually do this job? They don’t even ticket expired tabs and illegal parking as it is.

And there are large areas of the city without sidewalks. Which makes the boundary of the city right of way nebulous. I haven’t surveyed the city with this in mind, but I am sure there are RV owners who believe they are parking on their own front yard.

1994 August 10, 2026 (10:13 pm)

What would the consequences be for those not following the new rules, the city towing and stowing an RV in a tow lot? Didn’t the state supreme court say it is illegal to tow & stow a person’s vehicle if it is considered their dwelling? Instead of creating more bureaucracy & laws that probably won’t be followed just enforce the existing ones as commenter J suggests.

Rob August 10, 2026 (10:52 pm)

At the same time the city is considering parking meters in the junction for law abiding citizens that pay taxes, the council is proposing special considerations for non-citizens that are breaking laws, not paying taxes nor providing any other discernible benefit to the community.These people need tough love not coddling.

WS98 August 11, 2026 (8:18 am)

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Wow @Rob, how is it even possible for you to leap to an assumption that unhoused people are non-citizens, breaking the law and not paying taxes? It’s pretty common knowledge that undocumented immigrants annually pay an estimated $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes…that benefit only Americans. Back to this issue, it’s disingenuous to call this proposed legislation a pathway to housing when it’s nothing more than sweep tactics. I would love to see the city enforce RV/trailer rules against housed people with agency using neighborhood streets as permanent storage space. I’ve lost count of the roads I can’t drive down because they’re blocked by huge RV’s, campers, boats/trailers.
GLH August 11, 2026 (8:25 am)

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Yeah this is just like paid parking in the junction. Not many people are astute enough to see the connection between these extremely related issues, but you are. I tip my hat to you.
bill August 11, 2026 (9:18 am)

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Losing citizenship for living in an RV? Where did you hear that? And where in the city can you make a retail purchase that is not taxed?
DeadEnder August 11, 2026 (9:46 am)

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Your ‘tough love’ will affect everyone, not just “these people’ you refer to.

Wrong Solution August 10, 2026 (11:17 pm)

Shelter and housing, or lack thereof, is not the issue. A plurality, if not a majority, of the unhoused (RV or not) need either mental health or substance abuse treatment. A person with either condition should not be allowed to refuse treatment independently.

CarDriver August 11, 2026 (5:21 am)

City politicians and judges have already proven who’s side they’re really on. And it certainly isn’t the law-abiding citizens.

Derp August 11, 2026 (8:45 am)

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Now how did you come up with this ?

anonyme August 11, 2026 (6:05 am)

The reason that the homelessness problem continues to grow despite many millions of dollars being thrown at it can be summed up in a few words: the city council. Seattle has a unique way of dealing with lawbreakers; simply change the laws so that they are not quite so burdensome for criminals. Either that, or make laws that are meant to appease voters with no intention of EVER enforcing them. Meanwhile, the impact on ordinary citizens is completely ignored, and the burgeoning cost of failure is hidden in levies. The other unique thing about Seattle is that voters keep voting for the same thing over and over and over again. As long as this is the case, nothing will change.

Admiral2009 August 11, 2026 (10:16 pm)

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Anonyme in the last 20 years more than 1.5 billion dollars with a B!

aa August 11, 2026 (6:47 am)

Utterly ridiculous. We already have plenty of laws to enforce, if only they were.

S - Neighbor to West Wood August 11, 2026 (7:11 am)

Most RV’s on the road are not road worthy and should be removed for the publics safety and the owners safety also. I see all too many RV’s sitting on the road or moving that shouldn’t be. Body parts hanging off or taped on, holes in the RV’s, broken taillights, the lack of following gross weight allowed on these vehicles, and who knows what mechanical issues these vehicles have.

flimflam August 11, 2026 (2:10 pm)

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Completely agree – also add to that, no insurance, no current tabs.
M August 11, 2026 (5:15 pm)

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Will this apply to cars and trucks as well, or just peoples’ homes?

Scarlett August 11, 2026 (8:08 am)

Sure, and after all that drug rehab they’ll glide into a six figure job and a penthouse in Belltown. You people who are this far detached from reality better make an appt with a shrink – post haste.

tim August 11, 2026 (9:36 am)

Does that mean they can finally park in front of Teresa Mosqueda’s and Lisa Herbold’s house?

Tobi M August 11, 2026 (10:26 am)

I’d just like to pop in here to remind y’all that these are human beings living out of RVs. Folks who deserve kindness, respect, and compassion. You could be in their position a lot easier than you realize and wouldn’t it be nice to know your neighbors would want you houses in whatever way best suits your autonomy and preferences? Please do some reading up on forced rehabilitation and the OD and death rates when one gets out of that at the end. Being unhoused is a complicated and difficult situation to be in. Try to remember your humanity when you go to complain about the people who are forced to live on the streets due to poor circumstances.-Your neighbor

Brandon August 11, 2026 (1:03 pm)

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Nobody forced them to live on the streets. Their choices led them there. Nobody is dangling drugs in front of them and forcing them to take them, they choose to do so. Nobody is forcing them not to get help. They choose not to do so.

“Forced to live on the streets during to poor circumstances” is a BS excuse for them playing their hand in life poorly.

Providing incentive for them to make better choices will ultimately help them out of their conditions. Coddling them and enabling their poor decision making adds to the problem; by now that should be abundantly obvious. We’ve been doing the latter for a while now and the numbers keep growing.

I dont want them “housed in what was best suits their autonomy and preference”, theyve clearly already chosen RVs and tents. I want them to do better than that, and i want them to want that for themselves too, but we cant force that upon them. They need to make the decision themselves.

So disincentivise the poor decisions.

Jimothy August 11, 2026 (9:04 pm)

RV like Recreational Vehicle..?It’s almost as if we have forgotten what RVs are designed for!This is so silly, let’s stop acting like this is remotely a good decision.

CheeseWS777 August 11, 2026 (11:03 pm)

I wouldn’t want to live in their “housing” either. Except for their clothes and cellphone they aren’t allowed to have literally anything in their unit, they aren’t allowed visitors… Doesn’t sound like a home to me. I don’t blame them for wanting to stay in their rvs