#123: World Cup, Local Concerns

The FIFA World Cup kicks off in the Seattle area on Monday, June 15th, and it is believed to be the first time our area has hosted a major world sporting event since the Goodwill Games in 1990.

Well before Monday's matchup between Belgium and Egypt at the newly renamed Seattle Stadium, AKA Lumen Field, city officials have been probing the impact that hosting six World Cup games will have on our area.

To say the tournament will bring a lot with it is an understatement.

According to Visit Seattle, the official destination marketing organization for the city and King County, the six World Cup matches during June and July are projected to bring about $845 million to the local economy, including about $96 million in tax revenue.

Visit Seattle projects the tournament will draw 750,000 fans locally and will bring about 19,000 full-time and part-time jobs to our region.

But what else will it bring? Some local officials and activists are concerned that the World Cup may usher in displacement of some of our most vulnerable populations in the downtown corridor, namely the unsheltered.

Like many of the US cities hosting World Cup matches, Seattle has a sizable homelessness population, including some in areas of the downtown corridor adjacent to Seattle Stadium, where much of the foot traffic during World Cup matches will likely occur.

Associated Press reported earlier this month that World Cup host city Atlanta recently moved nearly 500 people experiencing homelessness into housing.

City of Seattle officials reportedly have opened scores of homelessness shelter units in advance of the World Cup's arrival.

Associated Press said that some World Cup host cities have used the tournament stage to draw attention to the homelessness crisis, yet others say that there's proof that major sporting events often worsen the problem.