Skip to main content

Bellevue home

  • Bellevue Home
  • City Government
    • Boards, Commissions and Committees
    • City Code, Resolutions and Ordinances
    • City Council
    • Communications
    • Departments
    • East Bellevue Community Council
    • Hot Topics and Initiatives
    • Public Records Requests
    • Sister Cities
  • Departments
    • City Attorney's Office
    • City Clerk's Office
    • City Manager's Office
    • Communications
    • Community Development
    • Development Services
    • Emergency Management
    • Finance & Asset Management
    • Fire
    • Human Resources
    • Information Technology
    • Parks & Community Services
    • Police
    • Transportation
    • Utilities
  • Discover Bellevue
    • About Us
    • Bellevue Television
    • City News
    • Things to Do
    • Arts in Bellevue
    • Parks and Trails
    • Economic Development
  • Doing Business
    • Building and Zoning
    • Doing Business in Bellevue
    • Doing Business with Bellevue
  • Public Safety
    • Police
    • Fire
    • Emergencies and Extreme Weather
    • Emergency Preparedness
    • Municipal Court
    • Neighborhood Traffic Safety
    • Probation
    • Public Defenders
  • Resident Resources
    • Resident Services
    • Customer Assistance
    • Conflict Assistance
    • Diversity Advantage
    • Languages
    • Neighborhoods
    • Newcomers Guide
    • Permits, Parking and Utilities
    • Volunteering
    • Local Service Agencies
    • Volunteering
City of Bellevue, WA City Manager's Office
English Español 简体中文 繁體中文 日本語 한국어 Pусский Tiếng Việt
bellevue home

MyBellevue Chatbot

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Discover Bellevue
  3. About Us
  4. Hot Topics and Initiatives
  5. Homelessness in Bellevue
  6. City Actions

    Homelessness in Bellevue

    • Planning for Men's Shelter
      • Good Neighbor Agreement Advisory Committee
      • Background
    • City Actions
    • Donating and Volunteering
    • Panhandling
    • Encampments, Living in Vehicles
    • Safe Parking Pilot

    City Actions

    Bellevue supports regional efforts to prevent homelessness and make it rare, brief and one-time when it occurs. In partnership with local community providers, the city supports a range of services, facilities, policies and enforcement, including:

    • Services to prevent homelessness – providing for basic needs, emergency financial assistance, counseling and treatment programs, medical care, employment opportunities, affordable housing.
    • Services for individuals experiencing homelessness – outreach (from homelessness outreach coordinator, Bellevue Fire Cares and county Mobile Crisis Team), mental health resources, job retraining programs, housing assistance, and addiction treatment and counseling; life coaching, etc.
    • Facilities for individuals experiencing homeless – includes day centers, shelters and other facilities where homeless individuals can access the support they need to transition out of homelessness. Local service agencies operate shelters on the Eastside.
    • Policies
      • Temporary Encampments - In December 2019, the city amended Land Use Code Part 20.30U regarding temporary encampments hosted by religious organizations. The amendment accommodates religious exercise, while protecting public health and safety through limitations on the number of temporary encampment residents, application and use requirements, provisions for sanitation, and limits on stay, duration and frequency.
      • Shelters - A land use code amendment regarding homeless services uses, adopted in 2018, ensures a clear and consistent process for siting shelters in Bellevue, with involvement from residents in the area.
      • Comprehensive Plan - The city's Comprehensive Plan, adopted in 2015, calls for city support for shelters and affordable housing, in the goals and policies of the Housing and Human Services chapters.
    • Enforcement – Bellevue is committed to respond to behaviors and activities that don’t comply with existing city rules and regulations. This includes police and code enforcement response to unauthorized encampments on private or city-owned property, as well as any criminal activity.
    Bellevue Cares help image
    Bellevue Cares Police outreach image
    Bellevue cares image

    Legal Constraints

    Homelessness is a complex issue and local governments must tailor their responses to be in compliance with a handful of key court rulings. Below is a select list of governing case law. This information is not comprehensive and should not be interpreted as legal advice.

    Contact

    Alex O'Reilly
    Human Services Manager
    Telephone
    425-452-2824
    Email
    AOReilly@bellevuewa.gov

    Search & Seizures

    • State v. Pentecost, 64 Wn.App 656, 825 P.2d 365 (Div. III, 1992)

    • State v. Cleator, 71 Wn. App. 217, 857 P.2d 306 (Div. 1, 1993)

    • United States v. Sandoval, 200 F.3d 659 (9th Cir. 1999)

    • State v. Pippin, 200 Wn. App. 826 (2017)

    4th Amendment unreasonable seizures & 14th Amendment procedural due process

    • Levan v. City of Los Angeles, 693 F.3d 1022 (9th Cir. 2012)

    • Russell v. City and County of Honolulu, No. 13-00475 LEK-RLP LEXIS 169114 (D. Haw. Nov. 29, 2013)

    • Martin v. City and County of Honolulu, No. 13-00363 HG-KSC, LEXIS 135071 (D. Haw. Oct. 1, 2015)

    • Acosta v. City of Salinas, 15-cv-05415, LEXIS 50515 (N.D. Cal. April 13, 2016)

    • Smith v. Corvallis, No. 6:14-cv-01382-MC, LEXIS 73205 (D. Or. June 6, 2016)

    • Ellis v. Clark County, No. 15-5449, LEXIS 126654 (W.D. Wa. Sept. 16, 2016)

    14th Amendment substantive due process

    • Sanchez v. City of Fresno, 914 F. Supp. 2d 1079 (2012)

    14th Amendment due process & vagueness

    • Desertrain v. City of Los Angeles, 754 F.3d 1147 (9th Cir. 2014)

    • Allen v. City of Sacramento, 234 Cal. App. 4th 41; 183 Cal. Rptr. 3d 654 (2015)

    Fundamental right to travel

    • Pottinger v. Miami, 810 F. Supp. 1551 (S.D. Fla. 1992)

    • Veterans for Peace Greater Seattle v. City of Seattle, No. C09-1032 RSM, LEXIS 77040 (9th Cir. July, 24, 2009)

    8th Amendment cruel & unusual punishment

    • Pottinger v. Miami, 810 F. Supp. 1551 (1992)

    • Davison v. City of Tuscon, 924 F. Supp. 989 (D. Ariz. March 13, 1996)

    • Veterans for Peace Greater Seattle v. City of Seattle, No. C09-1032 RSM, LEXIS 77040 (9th Cir. July, 24, 2009)

    • Bell v. City of Boise, 709 F.3d 890 (9th Cir. 2013)

    • Bell v. City of Boise, 993 F. Supp. 2d 1237 (D. Idaho 2014)

    • Martin v. City of Boise, No. 1:09-cv-00540-REB, LEXIS 134129 (9th Cir. September 28, 2015)

    • Smith v. Corvallis, No. 6:14-cv-01382-MC, LEXIS 73205 (D. Or. June 6, 2016)

    • Martin v. City of Boise, 920 F.3d 584 (9th Cir. 2019)

    City of Bellevue sealCity of Bellevue, WA

    • 450 110th Avenue NE
    • Bellevue, WA 98004
    • Directions to City Hall
    • Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

    Footer Menu Contacts

    • 425-452-6800
    • servicefirst@bellevuewa.gov
    • MyBellevue Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us / Employee Directory
    • Careers
    • ADA/Title VI Notices

    Languages

    • English
    • Español
    • 简体中文
    • 繁體中文
    • 日本語
    • 한국어
    • Pусский
    • Tiếng Việt

    About Bellevue

    All America City shield logo for Bellevue

    Learn more about us

    Social Media

    Tweets by bellevuewa

    Footer Menu Social Media

    © 2019 City of Bellevue | All Rights Reserved. | ADA/Title VI Notices | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Site Map