User:Savula98/Homelessness in Seattle

Mental Health:
Washington State is ranked the 47th state in the nation for the amount of people placed in psychiatric beds per capita (Seattle.gov).

Addiction:
The leading cause of death among the homeless community is drug overdose - specific opiate overdose deaths. The opioid crisis has been a big contributing factor to the rise of homelessness population over the years, as the problem has been unresolved and becoming worse. In King County, more people enter rehabilitation facilities for heroin more than they do with alcohol.

Lack of Affordable Housing:
As of 2020, Seattle is the fastest growing city in the nation. It's economy is booming and there are many high wage job opportunities - especially since the move-in of Amazon headquarters. However, it's obvious the growth of the economy is not being shared widely enough due to the vast amount of people still living on the streets. The cost of housing due to the large growing population of the city has risen greatly.

Racial Disparities:
The majority of people facing homelessness are disproportionately people of color. These racial disparities are prevalent in the roots of our society, including our education system, access to healthcare, affordable housing, training for jobs to support families, and all the way down to life expectancy. All of these obstacles are the basis of institutional racism, which is systematic issues and policies that cause inequality.

Criminal Justice System:
Historic and systemic issues of racial inequality that make it almost impossible to escape the inevitable loop of being criminalized, then homeless, then criminalized. The types of behaviors that are criminalized are targeting towards people suffering from homelessness. This includes "sitting and sleeping in public spaces, urinating and defecating in public, rummaging through garbage, and panhandling" (At What Cost).

Foster System:
In King County, a third of the homeless youth population has been put through the child welfare system. Once leaving the foster care system, the chances of youth becoming homeless is much higher than that of an individual who wasn't in the foster care system.

Emergency Response/Safe Housing Investments:
~ I want to add more relevant/updated information to the article as well

Tent City
Tent city is an infamous trait of Seattle, where the homeless legally are permitted to camp out in different areas of Seattle. "Tent City 3 was Seattle’s first, and perhaps most famous, tent camp allowed by the city. First appearing in 2000, its founders claim it’s “the oldest continually operating outdoor encampment in the nation,” and operates under a self-governance model". Encampment has been ongoing for over twenty years, moving to different areas around Seattle every 90 day period. The group is usually hosted by a church or university, and is usually placed along highways. The universities that often support this camp are usually University of Washington or Seattle University, but the majority of the time the camp relies on churches to help the organization run. Because of this, Tent City relies on faith to keep the organization protected. There are however, camps without permits. In Seattle there are about 400 illegal camps, which are usually placed near freeeays. These camps are often removed by the government.