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Committee to End Homelessness in King County

401 5th Avenue
Suite 500
Seattle, WA 98104

206-263-9085
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Homelessness in King County

The Seattle King County Coalition on Homelessness conducts an annual “One Night Count,” which includes a street count in portions of Seattle, Shoreline, Kent, White Center and East King County, and a survey of homeless shelters and transitional housing programs throughout King County. The 2007 “One Night Count” identified the following trends:

  • Number of homeless individuals in King County. 7,839 individuals were counted in our homelessness survey on January 26, 2007. The survey found 5,680 people in shelters and transitional programs (in a written survey of shelters and transitional housing); and 2,159 people surviving outside without shelter (counted in a street count). We know that there are hundreds (if not thousands) more homeless individuals throughout Seattle and King County who were not counted on the night of the count either because they were hidden from volunteer counters, are living unsheltered in areas of the county not included in the count, or are temporarily homeless but staying with friends and family. Over the course of a year, it is estimated that over 24,000 people will experience an episode of homelessness.
  • Geographic breakdown. More than 79 percent of homeless people counted in the shelter survey reported their last permanent address having been within the County (the street count does not disturb people and therefore does not generate detailed personal information). Permanent address is defined as a place occupied for at least two months prior to the latest episode of homelessness, and excluding shelter and transitional housing. The breakdown was:
    57 percent Seattle
    12 percent Outside of Washington State
    11 percent South King County
    9 percent Washington State (outside of King County)
    7 percent East King County
    4 percent North King County
  • Household composition. Homelessness affects all segments of the population – including children. The One Night Count shelter survey of individuals living in shelters or transitional housing programs reports the following breakdown among households:
    65 percent families with children*
    25 percent single adult men
    10 percent single adult women
    1 percent youth
    * Children aged 0-17 make up 31 percent of the total count of individuals who are living in shelters in King County. Young Adults aged 18-25 are a growing segment of the homeless population, and comprise 11 percent of the shelter population (included as a segment of the single adult men/women figures provided.)
  • Disproportionality. People of color are significantly over-represented in the homeless population. While people of color comprise approximately 27 percent of the general population in King County (2000 Census) they are known to make up at least 57 percent of all people who are homeless.
  • Domestic violence. 1,098 people accessing shelter and transitional programs reported they had experienced violence or abuse in the past year during this year’s count. Just over half of these people (589) were adults (almost all of whom were women) and 509 were children.
  • Working Poor. For many people, lack of affordable housing causes them to be homeless. Six percent of emergency shelter residents, and twenty percent of transitional housing residents surveyed through the One Night Count shelter survey report that their main source of income is employment.

Further evidence of need

  • Requests/Turnaways. The number of people seeking services provides us with information about trends and gaps in services. The Community Information Line/211 reports the following numbers for people seeking services in 2007:
    Basic Needs
    Shelter plus transitional housing: 12,297
    Domestic Violence Shelter: 1,592
    Permanent Housing: 3,543
    Financial Assistance
    Move-In Assistance: 3,072
    Rental and Mortgage Assistance: 9,456
    Utility Assistance: 9,793
    The largest multi-service center in East County reports that their average turn-away rate was 11 families for every family served in transitional housing and 12 families for every family in emergency shelter. The largest provider in South King County reports that they typically turn away 16 families for every one served.
  • Housing burden. Less than 1 percent of apartments in King County are affordable to households earning less than 30 percent of median income ($23,350 for a family of four). The average rent plus utilities for a two-bedroom apartment in King County is $985 (it is $1,165 in Bellevue, and $1,133 in Seattle.) A worker must earn over $17-21 per hour to afford this housing (housing is considered affordable when it costs 30 percent of one’s income). King County has a 3.1 percent vacancy rate, the lowest rate in 20 years.
  • Costs of homelessness. A study of the 40 highest users of Harborview and the Sobering Center – almost all of whom are homeless -- showed that they cost the emergency response system an average of $50,000 per year. It is more efficient and more humane to house them in supportive housing. Similarly, a mentally ill prisoner in the King County Jail (over half of whom are homeless) stays almost 140 days longer than a general population prisoner, at an estimated cost of $300 per night. The King County Jail is the second largest mental institution in the State of Washington. Supportive housing, which helps mentally ill persons break the cycle of recidivism, is clearly the preferable path.
  • Housing subsidies. Subsidized housing with services as needed has proven to an effective method to prevent homelessness and create strong communities. The three local housing authorities (Seattle, King County and Renton) provide housing to over 50,000 low-income households annually. Approximately 13,500 households receive Section 8 housing vouchers which allow households to find fair market rental housing close to schools, work or other community supports.

    Due to funding cuts housing authorities have been unable to distribute over 1,000 vouchers that used to be available to low-income households, nor are they able to accept applications on an ongoing basis. Rather, they accept applications during two-week application periods every few years from which they maintain wait lists. During the two-week period in the spring of 2007, the King County Housing Authority received over 11,000 applications for 2,500 available vouchers.
  • Emergency rental assistance and case management is a cost effective method for preventing homelessness. Multiple programs operate throughout the county to provide these services, and each year, these programs distribute approximately $550,000 in emergency assistance to just over 1,100 households. Households typically report a one-time financial crisis such as a job loss, short-term illness or car repair that put them at risk of losing their housing, and follow-up reports of households served indicate that over 80 percent of households provided with rental assistance are still housed six months later. Households assisted were composed of the following types:
    Families - Single Parent: 49 percent
    Families - Two parent household: 27 percent
    Individual: 19 percent
    Adult Couple: 6 percent
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