Governor Inslee announced that new policies are in the works to address homelessness across the state. He provided a preview of the proposals legislators plan to bring forward in the upcoming legislative session. The most recent numbers from the state put the homeless population at 83,000 people with about half living in King County. In Seattle, officials said the crisis is clear. A snapshot from September of verified encampments found 724 tents and 273 RVs. "We know this is a crisis in the state of Washington. We know we have a long way to go, but I am pleased to say we are making solid progress on this effort,” said Gov. Jay Inslee during a news conference on Wednesday. Inslee said part of that progress is the new Right of Way Safety Initiative. "We want to do this as fast as we can and as permanently as we can,” he said. The program started in the spring and so far Inslee said the state has addressed nine encampments along state highways. "Our department of transportation has worked as hard as they can, but they didn't have the person power to do it. The legislature has now put in $300 million to allow them to do it, and that is why this is being successful,” said Inslee. READ THE FULL STORY: https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/homeless/governor-inslee-new-policies-address-homelessness/281-f39096c2-1c7a-44eb-b238-3a0524c2a1f9