Washington among states with highest homeless population
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Washington had the third-highest population of people experiencing homelessness among U.S. states last year, trailing only California and New York, per a recent federal report.
The big picture: While homelessness grew at a faster rate nationwide than in Washington between 2023 and 2024, the number of people living without homes in the Evergreen State has continued to rise, despite years of state and local pledges to tackle the problem.
By the numbers: 31,554 people in Washington state were recorded as experiencing homelessness in 2024, a 12.5% increase from the 28,036 reported a year earlier.
- That's according to the U.S. Housing and Urban Development's newest annual report, released late last month.
- Nationwide, the number of people experiencing homelessness rose 18% over the same period, per the report.
Zoom in: Over half of Washington state's homeless population is concentrated in King County, which reported more than 16,000 people experiencing homelessness last year.
Between the lines: The numbers are based on point-in-time counts taken in January 2024.
- In those counts, service workers, government officials and volunteers fan out to tally how many people are experiencing homelessness on a single night.
- Some groups argue this method severely undercounts homeless populations.
Stunning stat: Between 2023 and 2024, the number of individuals experiencing chronic patterns of homelessness in Washington increased 56%, according to the report.
- That category refers to people with disabilities — including PTSD or substance use disorder — who have been homeless for over a year, or three separate times in four years.
- 49% of individuals experiencing homelessness in Washington were identified as chronically homeless in 2024, the highest percentage of any state, per the report.
What they're saying: Homeless service providers partly attributed Washington's rising levels of chronic homelessness to high local housing prices, the report says.
- Increased outreach to move people from encampments to temporary shelters also may have increased the numbers, causing more people to be identified as having chronic patterns of homelessness, per the report.
What's next: Local officials and volunteers will conduct another point-in-time count later this month, helping capture changes that may have occurred in the past year.