If you’ve been following the news, you know there was a tragic homicide on July 30th. Bellevue PD reports that both the victim and the alleged perpetrator were connected to the Porchlight shelter in Eastgate. BPD also confirmed that most calls from that facility involve medical emergencies, fights, and overdoses.
Furthermore, I’ve heard from many neighbors who regularly witness public drug use, camping, and retail theft near the shelter and in nearby Factoria.
Our community deserves answers. It is time for Porchlight, Plymouth Housing, and the City of Bellevue to release clear and comprehensive data on the safety situation there. Specifically:
1. The number and types of 911 calls
2. Comparisons to the period before the shelter
3. Impacts reported by nearby residents and businesses
There has been a troubling lack of transparency since a narrow 4 to 3 Council majority approved this site following a deeply divisive process, and that silence continues today.
All of us in Bellevue deserve safety and clarity – especially shelter residents who need a stable environment.