New data shows continued progress in key areas of bringing people indoors and making public spaces clean and accessible.
Seattle – Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell released updated data sets from the second quarter of 2023 for the City’s One Seattle Homelessness Action Plan and public-facing dashboard. The updates include new outreach and public safety data through June 2023 and verified tent and RV counts by neighborhood.
In addition to updates to the public dashboard, the Unified Care Team UCT also released data on service requests received from the public related to unauthorized encampments, as well as data around the City’s work to keep public spaces clean and accessible. In Q2, the UCT received over 9,000 service requests through the Customer Service Bureau’s service request system that were related to unauthorized encampments. Of these, 9% of requests resulted in a new site being added to UCT’s database, meaning sites identified by constituents are most often already being monitored by the City. The UCT also completed over 2,628 visits to sites in Q2, removing approximately 1,631,455 million pounds of debris.
OUTREACH DATA:
- In the second quarter of 2023, the Unified Care Team coordinated 554 referrals to shelter, a 21% increase over Q2 of last year.
- All individuals at encampments scheduled for closure received an offer of shelter, and 47% of all shelter referrals were made to people experiencing homelessness who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).
PUBLIC SAFETY DATA:
- Between January and June 2023, 6,435 emergency medical calls were responded to in connection to individuals experiencing homelessness, a slight increase to 36 calls averaged per day, compared to Q1.
- A total of 700 fires at tent/RV encampments were reported in the first two quarters of 2023, with a decrease from 4.5 fires averaged per day in Q1 to 3.9 per day in Q2.
- Between January and June 2023, 31 shots fired or shooting incidents were connected to homelessness, an average of one incident per week (consistent with Q1).
UPDATED TENT & RV COUNTS:
- The June 2023 snapshot shows a verified count of 408 tents and 292 RVs, a minimal decrease in tents from Q1 and a 9% decrease in RVs.
The Unified Care Team’s efforts reflect Mayor Harrell’s One Seattle Homelessness Action Plan priorities – leading with compassion and urgency in the City’s response to the homelessness crisis, delivering outreach to help people move indoors on a path to recovery, keeping public spaces open and accessible, and prioritizing focus on encampment sites with increased risk and impact on both housed and unhoused communities.