The Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness believes that people do not become homeless due to one easily pinpointed factor. Instead decades of poor social policy are the real root causes of homelessness. King County has over 8,000 people without permanent homes because our community lacks enough affordable housing.

 
In addition to a housing shortage our community struggles with:

• Low wages that have not kept pace with inflation,
• The de-institutionalization of people with mental illnesses without appropriate support services,
• Alarming rates of domestic violence,
• The criminalization of chemical addiction combined with an inadequate treatment system, and
• Institutional racism and oppression of people living in poverty.

 Some Facts and Resources:

• Convicted felons in Washington State lose their right to vote and may face discrimination in housing and employment. Download a free pamphlet from the Seattle Office for Civil Rights.

• 1,946 people were found surviving outside without shelter in parts of Seattle and King County in 2006. (One Night Count, Seattle/King County Coalition for the Homeless)

• Over 50% of shelter requests by homeless families went unmet last year, according to the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

• In 2002, Domestic Violence programs turned away 32,957 requests for emergency shelter.
  (Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence)

• Nationally 22% of homeless people report some income from paid work in the past month. (National Coalition for the Homeless)

• The Median Family Income for a family of four in the Seattle/Bellevue/Everett area is $77,900. (Department of Housing and Urban Development)

• Nationally 25% to 40% of homeless people need supportive services to help them recover from drug and alcohol abuse. (National Alliance to End Homelessness)

• It is estimated that 20 to 25% of homeless people have some form of mental illness.
  (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill)

• Nowhere in the US is the federal minimum wage enough to afford the fair market rent for a two bedroom apartment. (National Low Income Housing Coalition)

• People who are homeless suffer from extremely high rates of acute and chronic health problems due to poor nutrition, exposure to the elements, and the fatigue and stress.
  (National Health Care for the Homeless Council)

For additional information about homelessness, The National Coalition for the Homeless and The National Alliance to End Homelessness provide several useful fact sheets.

For further local information, the Coalition compiles the One Night Count, a comprehensive annual report on homelessness in Seattle and King County.