New data shows progress in key areas of bringing people indoors, new housing units, and reducing encampment site numbers
Seattle – Today, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell unveiled the third quarter data updates for the City’s One Seattle Homelessness Action Plan. These new data sets come on the heels of the transmittal of Mayor Harrell’s 2023-24 budget proposal to the City Council that includes increases to the City’s investments in City-managed homelessness response services, the City’s Unified Care Team, and the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA).
In the first nine months of 2022, more than 1,300 referrals to shelter were made in a coordinated outreach effort that includes the City’s HOPE Team, KCRHA, and non-profit partners. The Q3 snapshot of unauthorized encampments includes 724 documented tents and 273 documented RVs located throughout the City—a measurable reduction in encampment site numbers since the end of June. As of September the City has identified 1,912 new units of shelter and housing, 88 units away from the goal of 2,000 by the end of 2022.
Data collection methodologies continue to evolve as we learn of new encampment sites, our current best estimate is that the tent and RV counts represent roughly 75% of all encampments throughout the city. Nearly 20% of all citywide shootings/shots fired through Q3 have a nexus to an unauthorized encampment or a person experiencing homelessness.
Current Counts:
- Verified tent count: 724
- Verified RV encampments: 273
- Identified new housing and shelter units: 1,912
Total Public Safety Incidents with Connection to Homelessness (January – September):
- Emergency medical response calls: 9,063 (average 33 calls/day)
- Fires at encampments: 1,225 (average four fires/day)
- Shots fired or shooting incidents: 101 (average 3 incidents/week)
Driven by data, the One Seattle Homelessness Action Plan will continue to showcase the City’s priorities and actions to make visible progress on our objectives to get people indoors, create places for people to live, and develop innovative and regional solutions to ensure sustainable progress.