Homelessness in Seattle

The name "Skid Road" was in use in Seattle by the 1850s when the city's historic Pioneer Square neighborhood began to expand from its commercial core.{{cite book|last=Keniston-Longrie|first=Joy|title=Seattle's Pioneer Square|year=2009|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|location=Chicago, San Francisco, & Charleston, SC|isbn=978-0-7385-7144-7|pages=128}} The first homeless person in Seattle was a Massachusetts sailor named {{vanchor|Edward Moore}}, who was found in a tent on the waterfront in 1854.{{historylink|title=Moore, Edward (1823-1859): Seattle's First Homeless Person|author=Josephine Ensign |date=August 23, 2022|article=22536}}

File:SeattleHomelessnessBarChart.png

Since 2017, the King County government with the help of many local organizations has organized the Point-In-Time Count of the number of people sleeping without adequate shelter in Seattle (around 70%) and the rest of King County.{{Cite web|url=https://regionalhomelesssystem.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2016-KC-ONC-numbers.pdf|title=One Night Count 2016 Summary|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926103919/https://regionalhomelesssystem.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2016-KC-ONC-numbers.pdf|access-date=February 12, 2021|archive-date=September 26, 2020}} From 1980 until 2016, the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness (SKCCH) organized an Annual One Night Count of homeless people in ever-expanding areas of Seattle and King County.{{Cite web|url=http://homelessinfo.org/what-we-do/one-night-count/|title=One Night Count SKCCH History Summary|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929065729/http://homelessinfo.org/what-we-do/one-night-count/|access-date=February 12, 2021|archive-date=September 29, 2020}} Since 2006, counts have occurred on one night of the last ten days of January as specified by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).{{Cite web|url=https://homelessinfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/2006_ONC_Report.pdf|title=One Night Count 2006 Summary|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212235951/https://homelessinfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/2006_ONC_Report.pdf|access-date=February 12, 2021|archive-date=February 12, 2021}} Recent street counts have involved over 1000 volunteers counting people sleeping outside, in a tent, in an abandoned building or in a vehicle (see Unsheltered in the table below). Due to the pandemic, the 2021 street count was cancelled.{{Cite web|url=https://dchsblog.com/2020/12/17/2021-point-in-time-street-count-canceled/|title=Point-In-Time Count 2021 Cancelled Summary|date=December 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127042438/https://dchsblog.com/2020/12/17/2021-point-in-time-street-count-canceled/|access-date=February 12, 2021|archive-date=January 27, 2021}} The counts are not precisely comparable because of changes in the area covered, the time of year, the weather conditions during the count and other factors over the years. When the original reports are missing and surviving records are inconsistent, one count and both citations are recorded in the table. On the same day as the street count, emergency and transitional housing shelters are surveyed to determine how many homeless people are sheltering there. The homeless total includes the unsheltered street count plus those in emergency and transitional shelter (see Total in the table below). From 2006 to 2020, King County population growth averaged 1.7%{{Cite web|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/WAKING5POP|title=FRED King County Population|website=fred.stlouisfed.org|access-date=February 26, 2021}}{{Cite web|url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-counties/wa/king-county-population|title=WP King County Population|website=worldpopulationreview.com|access-date=February 26, 2021}} per year while homelessness grew twice as fast at 3.5% per year and unsheltered homelessness exploded nearly eight times as fast at 13.4% per year.

The total and unsheltered homeless counts since 2006 when HUD compliant January counts began:

In 2023, King County ranked in the top 3 in the United States in the category of the number of homeless people.{{Cite thesis |title=The Effects of Extreme Weather Exposure on People Experiencing Homelessness in Seattle |url=https://digital.lib.washington.edu/researchworks/handle/1773/50385 |date=2023 |degree=Thesis |language=en-US |first=Anisha J. |last=Azad}}

Many homeless people have health problems. Diabetes is a common ailment. Many homeless people do not seek or cannot afford adequate healthcare. In 2003, 47% of homeless individuals had one chronic condition.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}} Health conditions among homeless persons in the Seattle area have included a history of alcohol or substance abuse; more than half had a cardiovascular disease; and a quarter had a mental health issue.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}} Common causes of death among homeless people in the Seattle area include exposure, intoxication, cardiovascular disease, and homicide. In 2003, the average age of death of a homeless person was 47.{{cite news|last=Blanchard |first=Jessica |title=Homeless people studied died at average age of 47|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002118769_homeless14m.html|newspaper=The Seattle Times|date=December 14, 2004}}Painter, Alan. [http://www.seattle.gov/oir/datasheet/ "The Greater Seattle Datasheet."] City of Seattle. Net. Seattle.gov, December 16, 2004. Web. November 18, 2009. 697 homeless people died in King County between 2012 and 2017.{{Cite web|last=Greenstone|first=Scott|date=9 March 2018|title=A record number of homeless people died in King County in 2017|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/a-record-number-of-homeless-people-died-in-king-county-in-2017/|website=The Seattle Times}}

In December 2007, the Seattle City Council unanimously passed a measure prohibiting malicious harassment of a homeless person and declaring the act a misdemeanor. This law makes it illegal to damage a homeless person's personal items as well.Painter, Alan. [https://web.archive.org/web/20171102170729/http://www4.seattle.gov/humanservices/emergencyservices/tenyearplan.htm "Ten Year plan to end Homelessness."] Seattle. Gov. Seattle.gov, December 16, 2004. Web. November 18, 2009{{cite news|title=How Seattle police, local prosecutors address and investigate hate crimes|date=April 6, 2017|author=Evan Bush |newspaper=The Seattle Times|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/how-seattle-police-local-prosecutors-address-investigate-hate-crimes/}}

According to a 2023 study in Seattle, people facing homelessness in Seattle have had to endure days of extreme weather with both high and freezing temperatures. Additionally, urbanization and fires have decreased the quality of the air homeless people in Seattle breathe. Climate change and a lack of proper emergency shelters have worsened these problems.

As of 2018, the estimated total cost of homelessness in the region was estimated at about one billion dollars per year, including medical, police, and all nonprofit and governmental efforts at all levels. This number is unverified.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2017/11/16/price-of-homelessness-seattle-king-county-costs.html|title=The Price of Homelessness|website=www.bizjournals.com|access-date=June 7, 2018}} The City of Seattle 2020 budget directly allocated $80 million for the Division of Homeless Strategy and Investment.{{cite web|url=https://openbudget.seattle.gov/#!/year/2020/operating/0/program/Addressing+Homelessness/0/service|title=City of Seattle Budget for Addressing Homelessness|website=openbudget.seattle.gov}}

The City of Seattle, King County, and the United Way of King County are the participants in the Seattle and King County Coalition on Homelessness. In April 2021, the voter initiative Charter Amendment Measure 29, known as Compassion Seattle proposed to amend the Seattle charter adding a clause which requires the municipal administration to allocate at least 12% of its general financial budget to human services.{{Cite web|date=2021-06-18|title=Why business backs the Compassion Seattle amendment for addressing homelessness|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/why-business-backs-the-compassion-seattle-amendment-for-addressing-homelessness/|access-date=2021-06-28|website=The Seattle Times|language=en-US}}{{cite news|first1=Daniel |last1=Beekman|first2=Scott|last2=Greenstone|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/seattle-begins-to-digest-proposal-that-would-change-city-charter-to-address-homelessness/|title=Proposal to address homelessness in Seattle city charter met with intrigue, skepticism|date=April 13, 2021|access-date=May 27, 2021|journal=The Seattle Times}} They are combining and coordinating efforts to respond to and end homelessness, while spending carefully. From 2010 to 2020 the King County added 67,000 units to the 112,000 lost due to the growth of rental canons which overcome the 80 percent of area median income (about $23,000 per year for a family of four in 2017).{{cite news|first1= Benjamin |last1=Maritz|first2= Dilip |last2=Wagle|url=https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-and-social-sector/our-insights/why-does-prosperous-king-county-have-a-homelessness-crisis#|title=Why does prosperous King County have a homelessness crisis?|date=January 22, 2020|access-date=May 27, 2021|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200812063750/https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-and-social-sector/our-insights/why-does-prosperous-king-county-have-a-homelessness-crisis|archive-date=August 12, 2020|url-status=live}}

Share/Wheel is a self-help organization run by many homeless residents of Seattle. Share/Wheel has created 4 tent cities through the years. The first Tent City set up in 1990 at the Goodwill Games. It later became a self-managed homeless shelter at a Metro bus barn. It eventually moved to the Aloha Inn and created a self-managed transitional housing program. Tent City 2 was established on Beacon Hill in what would later become known as The Jungle, against the objections of the City of Seattle. Eviction notices were posted on the tents on July 2. Four days later on July 6, while most of the residents met with City Council member Peter Steinbrueck (who was attempting to delay action against the settlement), the police bulldozed the camp site and private possessions.{{cite web |url=http://hpn.asu.edu/archives/Jul98/0006.html |title=Archived copy |website=hpn.asu.edu |access-date=25 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100707052526/http://hpn.asu.edu/archives/Jul98/0006.html |archive-date=7 July 2010 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19980707/2759896/jungle-bulldozed-8-arrested|title='Jungle' Bulldozed; 8 Arrested|website=community.seattletimes.nwsource.com|url-access=subscription|access-date=2021-02-09|date=1998-07-07|first1=David A|last1=Fahrenthold|archive-date=October 11, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011225427/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19980707&slug=2759896|url-status=live}}

Tent City 3 was created on March 31, 2000, on private land. The police did not intervene, but the City of Seattle sued the host over unpaid permit fees. Share/Wheel and the City of Seattle settled out of court with a consent decree[http://www.mrsc.org/contracts/s42tntctyagree.pdf Consent Decree] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150118001229/http://www.mrsc.org/Contracts/S42TntCtyAgree.pdf |date=January 18, 2015 }} Consent Decree[http://www.mrsc.org/subjects/housing/tentcity/tentcity.aspx Tent City 3] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120416061052/http://www.mrsc.org/subjects/housing/tentcity/tentcity.aspx |date=April 16, 2012 }} Tent City 3 after a Superior Court judge warned the City that it would lose the case. Tent City 3 moves from location to location every 60–90 days. Tent City 4 split from Tent City 3 and shifts from place to place on the East side of Lake Washington. Tent cities shelter homeless persons who can not or do not wish to attend a public shelter for various reasons. The City of Seattle did not approve of these tent cities.Gregory J, Nickels. "[http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/newsdetail.asp?ID=8078&dept=40 Housing first approach to Homelessness Brings hope to hard lives.]"{{dead link|date=February 2021}} City of Seattle 1. 9 (2008): N. web 10/11. 2009

There were other encampments in the Seattle area:

• Nickelsville: formed in 2008 in protest over the policies of Mayor Nickels, who they believed was encouraging the police to assault, injure, and browbeat the homeless. It has no formal connection to Share/Wheel.
• United We Stand: capacity 35 people, which split from Tent City 3 in late 2014.[http://rbccucc.org/storage/FAQ%20about%20encampment.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402183242/http://rbccucc.org/storage/FAQ%20about%20encampment.pdf|date=April 2, 2015}} United We Stand at Richmond Beach UCC[https://web.archive.org/web/20141116142856/http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Neighbors-unnerved-by-new-Seattle-homeless-camp--282656061.html] United We Stand splits from Tent City 3
• Camp Unity Eastside: capacity 100 people, on the east side of Lake Washington in King County, which split from Tent City 4 in late 2012.[http://campunityeastside.com/] Camp Unite Eastside[http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/tent-city-dispute-sends-homeless-packing/] Tent City dispute

In addition to sanctioned homeless encampments, Seattle philanthropists have also become involved with serving the disenfranchised. The Seattle Block Project builds tiny homes in volunteers' backyards to house a single vetted individual. The goal of the project is to give a person a second chance. The project offers the opportunity for stability and safety, while asking the community to be involved in both donating space and labor. Through housing an individual and asking others to participate in the project the return is twofold, a person gets a safe place to live, and a community comes together to help the homeless. The Aurora Commons is a private effort to provide services to the homeless on Aurora Avenue North. As of January 2020, more than 5,578 homeless people were living in the King County.{{cite web|first1= Sydney|last1=Brownstone|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/homeless-deaths-point-to-a-difficult-pandemic-winter-for-people-living-outside/|title=King County homeless deaths point to a difficult pandemic winter for people living outside|date=March 26, 2021|access-date=May 27, 2021}} In 2020 there were recorded 140 nominative deaths among them.{{cite news|url=https://southseattleemerald.com/2021/01/22/a-hard-year-for-those-without-shelter-death-rates-rose-and-pressures-increased-for-the-homeless-during-the-pandemic/|title=A hard year for those without shlelter: death rates rose and pressures increased for the homeless during the pandemic|date=January 22, 2021 |access-date=May 27, 2021|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210122175644/https://southseattleemerald.com/2021/01/22/a-hard-year-for-those-without-shelter-death-rates-rose-and-pressures-increased-for-the-homeless-during-the-pandemic/|archive-date=January 22, 2021|url-status=live}}

In June 2021, the Seattle City Council approved a plan to use $49 million of the $128 million from federal COVID-19 relief funds to support the city's homeless population.{{Cite web|title=Seattle City Council approves plan to spend $128 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds|url=https://news.google.com/articles/CAIiEElIUmXpj0GKgOh338rVC5oqGQgEKhAIACoHCAowje6jCzDQ-LsDMIzLhQc|access-date=2021-06-28|website=Google News|language=en}} The plan put money towards direct cash assistance and aid programs, housing resources, enhanced shelter and outreach services and small business recovery.{{Cite web|title=$128 million: Seattle releases plan for American Rescue Plan Act funds|url=https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/seattle/128-million-seattle-releases-plan-for-american-rescue-plan-act-funds/281-22dbbf10-3393-4033-b769-8a9b3b7a000f|access-date=2021-06-28|website=king5.com|date=May 29, 2021 |language=en-US}}

The root causes of homelessness are complex and multifaceted. According to a report issued by the mayor's office, these causes include issues with mental health and addiction, economic disparities and poverty, lack of affordable housing, racial disparities, the criminal justice system, the decentralized response to a regional crisis, and lack of wrap around services for youth within and exiting the foster system.{{cite web |last1=Seattle (Mayor's Office) |first1=City of Seattle |title=Homelessness Response: Roots of the Crisis |url=https://www.seattle.gov/homelessness/the-roots-of-the-crisis |access-date=August 6, 2021 |archive-date=March 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220323200919/https://www.seattle.gov/homelessness/the-roots-of-the-crisis |url-status=dead }} Additionally, medical debt and medical debt-related bankruptcy contribute to homelessness in Seattle.{{Cite journal |last1=Bielenberg |first1=Jessica E. |last2=Futrell |first2=Marvin |last3=Stover |first3=Bert |last4=Hagopian |first4=Amy |date=January 2020 |title=Presence of Any Medical Debt Associated With Two Additional Years of Homelessness in a Seattle Sample |journal=INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing |language=en |volume=57 |pages=004695802092353 |doi=10.1177/0046958020923535 |issn=0046-9580 |pmc=7285940 |pmid=32513034}} According to a 2020 study that took place in Seattle, medical debt adds on approximately two years of homelessness. Legal debts, partially caused by the criminalization of acts connected to homelessness such as sleeping in public, are also linked to continued homelessness.{{Cite journal |last1=Mogk |first1=Jessica |last2=Shmigol |first2=Valerie |last3=Futrell |first3=Marvin |last4=Stover |first4=Bert |last5=Hagopian |first5=Amy |date=2020-05-26 |title=Court-imposed fines as a feature of the homelessness-incarceration nexus: a cross-sectional study of the relationship between legal debt and duration of homelessness in Seattle, Washington, USA |url=https://academic.oup.com/jpubhealth/article/42/2/e107/5510723 |journal=Journal of Public Health |language=en |volume=42 |issue=2 |pages=e107–e119 |doi=10.1093/pubmed/fdz062 |issn=1741-3842 |pmc=8059694 |pmid=31162577}}

Some reasons for homelessness have been attributed to the cost of living in Seattle having significantly risen in the past decade due to gentrification, lack of publicly owned affordable housing, and the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic{{Citation needed|date=June 2021|reason=Multiple unsupported casual claims}}. These have all culminated in an increase in the homeless population.{{Cite news|last1=Kim|first1=Dae Shik Jr.|last2=Oron|first2=Guy|date=2020-04-02|title=Seattle Destroyed Homeless Encampments as the Pandemic Raged|language=en-US|url=https://www.thenation.com/article/society/seattle-homeless-sweeps-coronavirus/|access-date=2021-04-13|issn=0027-8378}} Another contributing factor to the rising price of housing has been Amazon establishing its headquarters in downtown Seattle and the subsequent influx of high-wage tech workers due to the tech boom, between 2010 and 2017 the median rental cost in Seattle rose 41.7%, while the national average was only a 17.6% increase.{{Cite web|last=Hanley Wood Data Studio|date=2018-04-04|title=THE AMAZON EFFECT: RISING RENTS|url=https://www.builderonline.com/money/economics/the-amazon-effect-rising-rents_o#:~:text=While%20Seattle%27s%20rents%20pre-2010,the%20national%20median%20rental%20rate.|access-date=2021-04-26|website=www.builderonline.com}}{{Cite web|last=Goncalves|first=Delia|date=2019-02-07|title=Amazon helped create a housing crisis in Seattle; DC already has one|url=https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/amazon-helped-create-a-housing-crisis-in-seattle-dc-already-has-one/65-ca8a875e-d3ce-4134-b29e-bf54727ff6ab|access-date=2021-04-26|website=wusa9.com|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|last=McGreal|first=Chris|date=2018-07-04|title=Is Bezos holding Seattle hostage? The cost of being Amazon's home|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/jul/04/is-bezos-holding-seattle-hostage-the-cost-of-being-amazons-home|access-date=2021-04-26|issn=0261-3077}}

In a book entitled "Homelessness is a Housing Problem", Clayton Page Aldern and Gregg Colburn studied per capita homelessness rates across the country along with what possible factors might be influencing the rates and found that high rates of homelessness are caused by shortages of affordable housing, not by mental illness, drug addiction, or poverty. {{ cite news | url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-07-11/new-book-links-homelessness-city-prosperity | title=Cause of homelessness? It's not drugs or mental illness, researchers say | last=Warth | first=Gary | newspaper=Los Angeles Times | date=2022-07-11 | quote=In their University of California Press book “Homelessness is a Housing Problem,” authors Clayton Page Aldern and Gregg Colburn looked at various contributing issues of homelessness, including mental illness and addiction, and the per capita rate of homelessness around the country. By looking at the rate of homeless per 1,000 people, they found communities with the highest housing costs had some of the highest rates of homelessness, something that might be overlooked when looking at just the overall raw number of homeless people. }} {{ cite news | url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/is-homelessness-a-housing-problem-two-seattle-experts-make-their-case-in-new-book/ | title=Is homelessness a housing problem? Two Seattle experts make their case in new book | last=Greenstone | first=Scott | newspaper=The Seattle Times | date=2022-03-22 | quote=But when Colburn compared cities with high and low numbers of homelessness based on poverty, drug use and mental health treatment factors, there was a clear answer that housing plays an outsize role in homelessness — and most academics have agreed on it for a while. It just hasn’t been embraced by the general public yet. }}

They found that mental illness, drug addiction and poverty occur nationwide, but not all places have equally expensive housing costs.{{ r | LAT_2022-07-11 | p=1 | q=Aldern, a data scientist and policy analyst in Seattle, and Colburn, an assistant professor of real estate at the University of Washington’s College of Built Environments, said they are not suggesting that mental illness, addictions and other issues are not contributing factors to homelessness. “That’s certainly not the point of the book,” Colburn said. “But I firmly believe that we can’t treat our way out of this problem. You could fix all the addiction in San Diego right now and you’d still have a problem with homelessness because there just aren’t places for people to go who have lower levels of income.” ... “Pretty soon it became very clear that rental costs and vacancy rates were by far the biggest predictor of rates of homelessness in a community,” Colburn said. “It’s not the only factor. There are all sorts of complicated phenomenon, but it’s a far more convincing phenomenon than anything else.” }} One example cited is that two states with high rates of opioid addiction, Arkansas and West Virginia, both have low per capita rates of homelessness, because of low housing prices.{{ r | LAT_2022-07-11 | p=1 | q=“We’re not trying to dispute that these individual vulnerabilities matter,” he said. “They certainly do. But the point is, there are people who are addicted and mentally ill in Chicago, and Chicago has one-fifth the homelessness of Seattle and San Francisco. So what’s going on here? The point is these individual vulnerabilities interact with housing markets to produce homelessness.” The researchers looked at homelessness in West Virginia and Arkansas, which were hit hard by the opioid epidemic, and found the homeless rate was low. Housing prices in those states also are lower than in many cities with higher homeless rates, Colburn said. }} {{ r | ST_2022-03-22 | p=1 | q=We could cure every case of substance use disorders and mental illness in Seattle among the unsheltered population, and we would still have one of the highest per capita rates of homelessness in the country. It might be less visible, and that might make us as a community feel better. ... To someone who says, “Will housing fix all of this? Or will there still be people on the street?,” we say that Seattle has five times the homelessness of Chicago. But there’s still homelessness, and there are people panhandling in Chicago. And so we aren’t suggesting that accommodating housing markets will end all homelessness. What we’re saying is, it doesn’t need to be five times what Chicago is.}} With respect to poverty, the city of Detroit is one of the poorest cities, yet Detroit's per capita homelessness rate is 20% that of West Coast cities like Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego.

{{ r | LAT_2022-07-11 | p=1 | q=Poverty also is a contributing factor of homelessness, but the researchers found areas with high poverty rates don’t necessarily have high homelessness rates if housing costs are lower. As an example, Colburn said Detroit is one of the most impoverished cities in the country, but it has one-fifth the homelessness of West Coast cities on a per capita basis. }} {{ r | ST_2022-03-22 | p=1 | q=“Housing market conditions explain why high-poverty cities like Detroit and Cleveland have low rates of homelessness,” Colburn and Aldern write. “Housing market conditions also explain why some growing cities, like Charlotte, North Carolina, are not characterized by the levels of homelessness that coastal boomtowns like Boston, Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco are. … High rental costs and low vacancy rates create a challenging market for many residents in a city, and those challenges are compounded for people with low incomes and/or physical or mental health concerns.” }}

In an interview, Colburn stated: "To someone who says, “Will housing fix all of this? Or will there still be people on the street?,” we say that Seattle has five times the homelessness of Chicago. But there’s still homelessness, and there are people panhandling in Chicago. And so we aren’t suggesting that accommodating housing markets will end all homelessness. What we’re saying is, it doesn’t need to be five times what Chicago is."{{ r | ST_2022-03-22 }}

OSL (formally known as Operation Sack Lunch) is the largest meal provider in Washington state, currently providing 7,000 no-cost, nutrient dense, culturally relevant meals a day.{{Cite web |title=Our Story |url=https://www.oslserves.org/projects |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=OSL |language=en-US}} These meals are distributed to a wide range of organizations needing nutritional support including shelters, tiny house villages, permanent supportive housing units, and children’s programs.{{Cite web |title=OSL |url=https://www.oslserves.org/ |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=OSL |language=en-US}} This program began in 1989, and they partnered with the Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) in 1998. In 2012, there was some debate over the program's location, as Seattle Human Services Director Danette Smith said that because of poor conditions under the freeway, where they would distribute meals, it should close or move indoors.[http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/01/19/operation-sack-lunch-saved-from-city-shutdown] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403062641/http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/01/19/operation-sack-lunch-saved-from-city-shutdown|date=April 3, 2015}} Operation Sack Lunch saved[http://mayormcginn.seattle.gov/continuing-our-work-to-help-the-hungry/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220907231433/http://mayormcginn.seattle.gov/continuing-our-work-to-help-the-hungry/|date=September 7, 2022}} Danette Smith discusses depriving homeless of meals The program's operators said it could not continue at all if forced to move indoors. This issue seems to be solved, as of May 2024 the organization moved into their own state-of-the-art kitchen. This organization was also quite impactful during the COVID 19 pandemic. In January 2020, OSL was serving 3200 meals each day, and by April, per HSD partners request, OSL was producing more than 9000 meals a day.

The BLOCK project is another initiatives that aims to help homeless people in Seattle.{{cite press release |id={{ProQuest|2133453325}} |title=Xconomy: Innovative Approaches to Homelessness in Seattle |date=15 November 2018 }} This project builds small houses and places of shelter and coordinates with Seattle volunteers who are willing to offer areas of their backyards to place the houses. This is a sustainable, community-based way of addressing the problem of homelessness.

Seattle has many shelters dedicated to providing support and housing to individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Some of these shelters are the primary program carried out by the organization, while other non-profits run shelters as one of their many programs aimed at decreasing housing instability. The list below is not comprehensive of all the shelters in Seattle, however, they demonstrate the different types of shelters and services that exist.

As the largest overnight shelter for youth ages 18-25 in Washington state, ROOTS aims to provide a safe space for young people experiencing housing instability. Located in the University District, ROOTS has a space for 45 young people each night, offering services like support with case management, housing navigation, and employment help.{{Cite web |title=ROOTS Young Adult Shelter |url=https://rootsinfo.org/ |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=ROOTS Young Adult Shelter |language=en-US}} Additionally, youth do not need an ID on their first night.

The organization Compass Housing Alliance has emergency housing programs, along with services that focus on helping individuals and families find permanent housing. Their emergency overnight shelters follow an “enhanced non-congregate shelter model.”{{Cite web |title=Emergency Programs |url=https://www.compasshousingalliance.org/emergency-programs/ |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=Compass Housing Alliance |language=en-US}} This means their overnight shelter has 24/7 on-site intensive case management and other support services to remove common barriers to access services. Their shelters include Blaine Veterans Center Enhanced Shelter (downtown Seattle), Otto’s Place Men’s Shelter (downtown Seattle), and Jan & Peter’s Place Women’s Shelter (Rainier).

The nonprofit Solid Ground provides multiple housing options–emergency shelter, transitional and permanent housing, as well as housing services and advocacy efforts to prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless.{{Cite web |date=2015-10-20 |title=Housing & Homelessness Prevention |url=https://www.solid-ground.org/our-impact/housing-homelessness/ |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=Solid Ground |language=en-US}} Their temporary housing programs include Broadview: For Domestic Violence (DV) Survivors and Family Shelter. These are not drop-in, rather, families and individuals must contact 2.1.1. for screening eligibility. Solid Ground follows a Housing First philosophy, as their goal is to help people in temporary housing find permanent housing as quickly as possible. They do this by providing additional case management and housing search assistance at each of their shelter locations.

Real Change news is a newspaper sold by homeless street vendors; they buy the paper for 60 cents and sell it for 2 dollars. The Real Change has increased in sales by 41% since 2007. An increase in vendors was also recorded, growing from approximately 230 to 350 vendors in one month.

In 2009, income resources used by homeless persons included: 558 homeless persons who received Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), 481 receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI), 355 received general assistance (GAU), 233 had other sources of income, 142 were on general assistance (GAX), 49 received unemployment compensation, 21 received income through the Alcohol and Drug Addiction Treatment Act (ADATSA), and 590 homeless persons had an unknown source of income.{{citation needed|date=November 2013}}

In 2019 KOMO-TV aired the hour-long documentary Seattle Is Dying written and reported by Eric Johnson, exploring homelessness in Seattle; Portland sister station KATU also carried the special, which also has issues with a transient population.{{Cite web|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/entertainment/2019/03/tv-documentary-about-seattles-homeless-crisis-sparks-debate-portland-comparisons.html|title=TV documentary about Seattle's homeless crisis sparks debate, Portland comparisons |last=Turnquist |first=Kristi|date=2019-03-19 |website=oregonlive.com |language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-29}}{{Cite web|url=http://cbsaustin.com/news/local/seattles-homeless-problem-could-be-harbinger-of-things-to-come-in-austin|title=Seattle's homeless problem could be harbinger of things to come in Austin|last=Maciborski|first=Walt |date=2019-07-03|website=KEYE|access-date=2019-07-29}} Johnson said local authorities did not provide effective responses to the problems as he identified them, and said some law enforcement officials were not helping to address what Johnson said were ongoing issues.{{Cite web|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/entertainment/2019/07/controversial-documentary-about-seattles-homeless-crisis-will-air-on-katu.html |title=Controversial documentary about Seattle's homeless crisis will air on KATU |last=Turnquist |first=Kristi |date=2019-07-04 |website=oregonlive.com |language=en-US |access-date=2019-07-29}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-09/after-amazon-led-tax-rebellion-seattle-s-homeless-aid-stalls |title=Amazon Led a Tax Rebellion. A Year Later, Seattle Is Gridlocked|last1=Day|first1=Matt |last2=Buhayar |first2=Noah |date=June 10, 2019 |website=www.bloomberg.com |access-date=2019-07-29}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/what-if-seattle-is-dying-and-we-dont-even-know-it/|title='What if Seattle Is Dying, and We Don't Even Know It?'|last=Fowler|first=Jack|date=2019-04-08 |website=National Review|language=en-US |access-date=2019-07-29}} Several competing media outlets in the city and homelessness advocates criticized KOMO-TV and Johnson for what they said was an inaccurate and biased picture of the issues, and that the contents of the documentary were motivated by the right-wing agenda of the nationwide Sinclair Broadcast Group, which has little interest in local Seattle politics but benefits from sensationalism of local issues to both maintain newscast ratings and to portray a negative and alternate view of the city's politics.{{Cite news|url=https://www.seattlepi.com/local/politics/article/Seattle-is-not-perfect-but-Seattle-is-not-dying-13709348.php|title=Connelly: Seattle is not perfect, but Seattle is not dying - SFChronicle.com|date=2019-03-24|newspaper=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-29 |last1=Connelly |first1=By Joel }}{{Citation| title= As we vent over homelessness in our 'jewel' of a city, let's not forget our shared humanity |date=April 1, 2019|first= Tyrone |last=Beason |newspaper=The Seattle Times |url= https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/as-we-vent-over-homelessness-in-our-jewel-of-a-city-lets-not-forget-our-shared-humanity/ }}{{Citation |title= Man used as proof that 'Seattle Is Dying' tells his story Robert Champagne says KOMO's special inaccurately portrayed him. To start, he hasn't been homeless for more than three years. |first=David |last=Kroman |date=March 28, 2019 |url= https://crosscut.com/2019/03/man-used-proof-seattle-dying-tells-his-story }} Tim Harris of Real Change called it "misery porn".{{Citation |url= https://www.realchangenews.org/2019/03/20/komo-asserts-seattle-dying-misery-porn |title= KOMO asserts Seattle is dying with misery porn |first= Tim |last= Harris |date=March 20, 2019 |website=Real Change News }}

The documentary states there is a homelessness crisis in Seattle and claims the causes include a lack of an urban social policy and the rampant drug use. Johnson advocated for a set of solutions, and claimed local officials failed to engage with what he said were documented problems.{{Cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/rogervaldez/2019/04/08/seattle-isnt-dying-yet-but-the-latest-debate-might-kill-it/|title=Seattle Isn't Dying Yet, But The Latest Debate Might Kill It|last=Valdez |first=Roger |website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=2019-07-29}}{{Cite web|url=http://komonews.com/news/local/local-officials-react-to-komo-news-special|title=Local officials react to KOMO News Special|last=News|first=Matt Markovich {{!}} KOMO|date=2019-03-19|website=KOMO|access-date=2019-07-29}}

KOMO TV said their documentary was effective in influencing Seattle officials.{{Cite web|url=http://komonews.com/news/local/lawmakers-highlight-efforts-to-address-issues-raised-in-seattle-is-dying-documentary |title=Lawmakers highlight efforts to address issues raised in 'Seattle is Dying' documentary|last=News|first=Keith Eldridge {{!}} KOMO|date=2019-03-22 |website=KOMO |access-date=2019-07-29}} Sinclair station KRCR-TV also carried the special, stating that Shasta County, California officials were taking measures to combat similar issues they face in their region based on the special.{{Cite web|url=http://krcrtv.com/news/shasta-county/shasta-county-officials-respond-to-film-seattle-is-dying|title=Shasta County officials respond to film Seattle is Dying|last=Brown|first=Dylan|date=2019-07-10|website=KRCR|access-date=2019-07-29|archive-date=July 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190728222900/https://krcrtv.com/news/shasta-county/shasta-county-officials-respond-to-film-seattle-is-dying|url-status=dead}}

Some advocates for the homeless have argued that the documentary focuses too heavily on issues such as drug use, countering that the high cost of living and lack of affordable housing are at the core of homelessness.[https://katu.com/news/local/seattle-homeless-documentary-draws-criticism-in-portland Seattle homeless documentary draws criticism in Portland], KATU, 2019-03-22{{cite web|title=Seattle isn't dying, but homeless documentary is |first1=Tom |last1=Henderson |date=2019-05-02 |url=https://newsregister.com/article?articleTitle=seattle-isn-t-dying-but-homeless-documentary-is--1556860805--33093-- |work=News-Register|access-date=2021-02-08}}{{cite web|title='Seattle is Dying' follow-up draws harsh criticism from local homeless advocates |date=2020-12-22|access-date=2021-02-08|url=https://mynorthwest.com/2389155/seattle-is-dying-follow-up-criticism-homeless-groups/? |first1=Nick |last1=Bowman|website=mynorthwest.com}}

{{cite web|url=https://crosscut.com/2019/03/6-reasons-why-komos-take-homelessness-wrong-one |title=6 reasons why KOMO's take on homelessness is the wrong onep|first1=Catherine |last1=Hinrichsen |date=2019-03-20 |access-date=2021-02-08 |work=Crosscut.com}}

Pete Holmes, the Seattle City Attorney, criticized the documentary, defending the city's efforts on drug crimes and homelessness.{{Cite web |url=https://www.seattle.gov/cityattorney/news/seattle-isnt-dying |title=Seattle Isn't Dying |last=Holmes |first=Pete |author-link=Pete Holmes (politician) |website=seattle.gov}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/podcast-seattle-city-attorney-pete-holmes-defends-city-efforts-on-drugs-homelessness-and-income-tax/ |title=Podcast: Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes defends efforts on drug crimes and homelessness |last1=Brunner |first1=Jim |last2=Beekman |first2=Daniel |date=April 1, 2019 |website=The Seattle Times}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/07/12/736612514/seattle-faces-backlash-after-easing-up-on-punishing-crimes-involving-mental-illn |title=Seattle Faces Backlash After Easing Up On Punishing Crimes Involving Mental Illness |last=Kaste |first=Martin |date=July 12, 2019 |website=NPR}}

{{Reflist|refs=

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• [http://allhomekc.org/king-county-point-in-time-pit-count/ 2018 Point in Time Count, by the Numbers Infographic]
• [https://www.seattlemet.com/articles/2017/6/1/7-big-takeaways-from-this-year-s-homeless-count 7 Big Takeaways from This Year's Homeless Count]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110604105232/http://www.seattle.gov/humanservices/emergencyservices/2009ONCSurveyData.pdf Seattle Homeless Needs Assessment 2009]
• [http://www.desc.org The Downtown Emergency Service Center]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20030801114125/http://www.homelessinfo.org/onc.html SKCCH 2009 One Night Count Summary Information]
• [http://www.homelessinfo.org/ONC-archives.html SKCCH One Night Count Summary Archive, 2003-2008]{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
• [http://www.sharewheel.org Seattle Housing and Resource Effort / Women's Housing Equality and Enhancement League]
• [http://www.fallenleaves.org Leaves of Remembrance: The Homeless Remembrance Project]

{{Homelessness in the United States}}

{{Homelessness}}

{{Seattle}}

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Category:Culture of Seattle

Category:Homelessness in Washington (state)