This is the third article of three on the various costs associated with homelessness. In this article we examine the costs associated with government-funded services and the lack of accountability of taxpayer funds. We also look at whether these services are attracting homeless individuals from other states.

King County politicians boast that they work with 1,500 agencies to provide 5,000 services to help those who are homeless. Yet despite all of these resources, homelessness continues to grow in and around Seattle (increased 68% in the past decade, rising every year including 2025). This raises obvious questions:

• Are these services helping homeless individuals become self-sufficient, or do they enable more people to become dependent on taxpayer-funded services?
• Are these services a magnet for drawing homeless people from other states?

King County’s Crisis Connection website lists the thousands of government agencies, private and publicly funded charity groups, and faith-based organizations  available to those facing homelessness and other life challenges. Some of the groups are available to everyone while most cater to a specific group (i.e. veterans, single parents, Alaskan Natives, etc.) The extensive list includes:

• 39 agencies which offer rent payment assistance
• 38 agencies which offer utility payments/discounts
• 61 agencies which offer dental care
• 56 agencies which offer free meals
• 37 agencies which teach English as a Second Language
• 16 agencies which offer transitional housing
• 16 agencies which provide bus fare
• 51 agencies which provide job training
• 23 agencies which provide diapers/baby supplies

(Note the page does not offer addiction treatment services despite 75% of homeless admitting they have chemical dependency issues. If one is looking for addiction help on this website, they strangely need to go through the “Contact’ link at the top of the page to find the one hidden phone number to WA Recovery Hotline.)

The primary argument of “Housing First” advocates is that once a homeless individual receives public housing, caseworkers will determine the social services they need to get back on their feet.

In King County there is already a large housing bureaucracy (the King County Housing Authority already owns 150 properties and provides funds to more than 8,000 additional units) that has been growing steadily for decades. A significant boost occurred during the COVID pandemic when King County used federal emergency funds and raised the sales tax to fund nearly a half billion-dollar plan to purchase and remodel 1,600 former hotel units into emergency and permanent housing as part of its Health through Housing Initiative. This cost taxpayers more than $330,000 per unit (before adding on-going administrative and maintenance costs).

Yet, despite all of this expensive public housing and 5,000 services to select from, expensive Housing First policies have only increased the suffering on our streets. When then King County Executive Dow Constantine declared homelessness an emergency in 2015, there were “only” 10,047 people experiencing homelessness. A decade later, after spending billions annually, there are now 16,858 homeless people in the county. Government’s “solution” has made things even worse

Why have local homelessness initiatives failed despite significant resources? Among the many reasons (including the lack of focus on addiction and mental health treatment) are the lack of accountability for public efforts and the fact that the multitude of services has made our region a magnet destination for those who are already homeless.

LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY

A 2023 Discovery Institute report found that nearly half of the non-profit housing groups receiving King County funds did not provide reports on their results. Without this data, it is difficult for the public to assess which policies are effective and which may need adjustment.

The lack of reporting also makes it challenging to determine how government vendors are utilizing public funds.

While an overwhelming majority of these organizations are true to their commitment to assist those in need, there are a few unscrupulous players who collect high salaries and do very little to help those who are struggling. Regular public reports would be a useful tool in identifying these dishonest individuals.

The only true measure of success is how many formerly homeless people have secured permanent housing. But our political leaders are failing to ensure the public has this data and this lack of accountability is easily one of the major reasons why our region’s homeless strategy is a disaster.

WASHINGTON IS A DESTINATION FOR AMERICA’S HOMELESS

Two recent reports show that Washington’s urban areas have quickly become a destination for those who first experience homelessness elsewhere in the country.

• 50.2% of Spokane’s homeless experienced homelessness elsewhere before moving to Eastern Washington and 63% have no family connection within the region.
• 49.7% of Seattle’s homeless experienced homelessness elsewhere before moving to Western Washington and 67% have no family connection within the region.

The latest count shows that our state has the third highest homeless population in the country with 31,554 suffering on Washington’s streets. If the recent surveys are correct, this means approximately 15,750 have moved here after being homeless in another state. Most of these individuals do not have the education or training to work for the state’s high-tech sector. It is likely the multitude of services available (including a possible free $330k room) that brought them to the Pacific Northwest.

To make matters worse, once a homeless person moves to Washington, there is a higher probability for that person to become “chronically homeless” for the rest of their lives. (A recent federal report revealed that Washington has largest chronic homeless population in the country.) Failure to receive addiction/mental health treatment is the primary reason why someone becomes permanently homeless. Rehabilitation and treatment advocate Ginny Burton states the cost to taxpayers is $1 million to $1.5 million for each chronically homeless person.

While there are many good people who benefit from receiving public help as they struggle (usually from addiction or mental health issues), the way these services are utilized might actually cause homelessness to increase in our state.

The Discovery Institute’s Fixhomeless.org Project provides the following recommendations to improve our homelessness results:

1. Every organization that receives government funding should be required to provide data on the number of people housed, and the associated costs. This would place positive results (how many helped) at the center of future funding decisions..
2. Allocate 20% of long-term housing funds into effective treatment response. When a person is successful in treatment (for a fraction of the cost) they will become self-sufficient and will not be a taxpayer burden for the rest of their lives.
3. Focus services on those with a history to Washington, and when mutually beneficial, help out-of-staters return to a location where they have a support network. This will slow the rush of out-of-staters who become a lifelong drain on our state’s services.