Re: “Homelessness in Seattle: We can’t unsee it” (Dec. 28, Opinion):
Walter Hatch’s largely glorious essay is marred by what I feel is an unfair comparability with Milwaukee, Wisc. He wrote, “Milwaukee, Wis., which has dramatically diminished its homeless inhabitants over the previous decade, serves as a shining instance of the success of a housing-first coverage.”
For an correct comparability between Seattle and Milwaukee, Hatch would want to look at different information between the 2 cities. What share of the populations in Seattle and Milwaukee are homeless? I ask as a result of on Jan. 1, 2026, the low temperature in Milwaukee was predicted to be 9 levels Fahrenheit and that in Seattle was predicted to be 39 levels.
By no means would I wish to be homeless in Seattle at a temperature of 39 levels. However in Milwaukee I’d be useless. Poverty-stricken individuals within the Midwest migrate to hotter climates, if they will, to remain alive.
Let’s work on addressing the issue of homelessness in Seattle with out comparability to dissimilar cities.
Kate Bradley, Sammamish
