Thanks to the 248 you who cast votes, we have a new question to report. This one comes from reader Brian Hsi: “How do the unhoused think we should address our housing challenges? What would they tell homeowners? Renters? Politicians? Businesses?”

We loved Brian’s question and called him up to learn why he asked it. Turns out, he’s a product manager. One of the most important parts of his job, he says, is to focus on user experiences to help solve problems. And that shapes how he looks at the news, too.

“When conversations around homelessness and the housing crisis are happening in our region, more often than not what I see are sort of top-down issues or concerns or solutions for addressing it,” Brian told us. “Voices [of people experiencing homelessness] aren’t necessarily being represented, at least from what I’ve seen.”

Brian hasn’t just followed this issue. He’s also volunteered to help — both with our annual point-in-time survey of our houseless neighbors and at the Seattle/King County Clinic, which provides health care to locals in need.

“Just talking with folks one-on-one there, even in just a short amount of time, was great. That human connection was great,” Brian said. “I think that’s what’s missing in the coverage.”

So what’s next? We’re going to start talking to folks to get an answer to Brian’s questions. We’ll keep you posted when our final story will come out. Know someone we should talk to? Hit reply or reach out to us at [email protected].

In the meantime, make sure you’re following our partners at GeekWire, Crosscut, KUOW, Patch, Seattle P-I, and ParentMap for their stories answering even more of your questions. We’re stoked to be learning with you all. ❤️

‘She is showing us what we cost her.’ There’s a funeral procession going on around the San Juan Islands, and it’s breaking all our hearts. A mother orca whale known as Tahlequah has been carrying her baby — a calf that lived all of a half-hour — for seven days. Has mom been eating? We don’t know. What we do know is that our southern-resident pod of orcas is starving. There aren’t enough chinook salmon to eat, they haven’t successfully birthed a calf in three years, and the one youngster that was giving researchers hope — 4-year-old J50 — is close to death herself. “She is showing us what we cost her,” reader Manda Smith wrote about Tahlequah on our Facebook page. Our governor’s set up a task force to try to do something. Know of specific actions we locals can take to help? Hit reply or email us at [email protected] and we’ll share ‘em out. (The Seattle Times)

#SaveTheShowbox. If you read anything today about the Showbox — the legendary music venue a developer wants to replace with a 44-story high-rise — make it this op-ed by music journalist Charles Cross. A lot of us know that Seattle’s made a big mark on music. Charles was there, seeing it happen and telling the world about it. One of his worries? That our city won’t protect the parts of its culture that he believes attracted all this growth and wealth in the first place. “Is there a price we pay in this city for development that edges out the arts?” he asks. “And can we do anything to stop it other than bitch?” P.S.: No one’s signed off on the plan to replace the Showbox yet, so there’s plenty of time to speak out. (Crosscut)

Hey, thirtysomethings. Your parents had it good. The average Seattle rent for a one-bedroom apartment in 1980 was $653, the average house cost $230,000 — and both those figures are adjusted for inflation. 😱 Plus, you’re saddled with unprecedented student loan debt. But your generation is more likely to have high-paying jobs, so, um, yay? (The Seattle Times)

I know just the place. Your friend’s in from out of town and you’re on a budget. What restaurants do you take ‘em to show them that yeah, obviously, Seattle’s the best? Enter the always-handy Infatuation Seattle with a list of 14 affordable spots to impress your guests. A couple highlights: pho and coffee cocktails from Pho Bac Sup Shop in the International District and mole tamales from La Cocina Oaxaqueña in Capitol Hill. (Infatuation Seattle)

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Our city’s got some big needs to solve for, and not everyone can pitch in dollars to help. But in case you can, here are two new opportunities we heard about this week to help your neighbors experiencing homelessness. Both are tied to Pearl Jam’s upcoming Seattle Home Shows:

• Got the Starbucks app? Use it to give to Pearl Jam’s Home Fund between today and August 12 and Starbucks will match your contribution 2:1.
• Give to one of these DonorsChoose projects to help students experiencing homelessness and a coalition of donors, including Seattle’s Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will match it dollar-for-dollar. It’s a nationwide campaign, but here are some local projects to browse through.

Be kind today, all. — The Evergrey