Homeless vigil raising awareness of major problem

SEATTLE - Dozens of volunteers held signs and stomped for change as the number of homeless in King County - and the rest of the country - continues to rise at an alarming rate.

In November, Mayor Ed Murray and King County Executive Dow Constantine declared homelessness a state of emergency that is taking the lives of many people every year.

"It`s a crisis across the West and really, to some extent, across the nation," Murray said. "It`s not just Seattle. It`s not just King County. It`s also now our suburban cities."

Murray suggested the federal government step up and pitch in. He said the feds have scaled back funding over the last 35 years.

Recently, Seattle city leaders approved more funding to pay for additional beds in shelters and resources at addiction centers.

The Mayor admits it's not enough, and organizers of this week's homelessness vigil agree that more needs to be done from the federal level.

"You solve homelessness with homes and we need to build enough homes and we need the federal government behind us to do this," Flo Beaumon said.