What’s the biggest challenge Washington is grappling with? An exclusive KING 5 News survey suggests it may be homelessness.
In 2019, there were 21,621 people experiencing homelessness, according to the Washington State Department of Commerce’s annual point in time count. Although more than half of those people were in King County, more than a dozen other counties recorded hundreds of homeless people.
The poll found 33% of voters surveyed thought homelessness was the biggest challenge facing Washington state. One-quarter thought affordable housing was the biggest challenge, and 17% thought it was taxes.
That sentiment seemed to permeate across party lines and regions. Homelessness was a top issue for 28% of Republicans, along with taxes, and 31% of Democrats. Voters in western Washington and the metro Seattle area agreed homelessness was the biggest statewide challenge. It was the second biggest issue for eastern Washington voters after affordable housing.
To deal with homelessness, Gov. Jay Inslee has proposed tapping more than $300 million from the state’s emergency budget to add 2,100 shelter beds and offer other help.
The poll found 53% of voters supported Inslee’s plan, 30% disapproved, and 17% weren’t sure.
That likely won't happen, however. The votes for a two-thirds majority required to touch the emergency money don't appear to be there right now.
SurveyUSA conducted the poll between Jan. 26 and Jan. 31, surveying 1,103 registered voters across Washington state. Of those voters, 41% were Democrats, 26% were Republicans, and 27% were Independents. Nearly half were from the Seattle metro area, a quarter were from eastern Washington, and a little more than a quarter were from western Washington, reflecting statewide population and demographics.
Everett's approach to homelessness
At Everett’s Gospel Mission, those bedding down are the lucky ones. The mission turns away 160 homeless men every month, because there's just no room.
Those people end up among the more than 1,100 sleeping on the sidewalks, in camps or in cars all across Snohomish County.
It’s an increasingly uncomfortable reality for many, including Mission CEO Sylvia Anderson.
“I'm tired of seeing it,” she said. “I'm tired for the people experiencing it. I know when I talk to the folks on the street it's not what they want, it's what they have settled for. We as a community need to stop settling for what's happening on our streets.”
A few years ago Snohomish County stopped settling.
Then-Sheriff Ty Trenary began embedding social workers with his deputies, nudging addicts toward treatment. In 2018, the county opened a first-of-its-kind facility that gets people sober and then connects them with services.
Last year alone, 200 people found permanent housing. That’s more than double the success rate of standard shelters.
“It's about building relationships,” said Snohomish County Division Manager for Human Services Cammy Hart-Anderson. “It's developing a rapport with that individual and understanding what led him or her to that particular point. You develop trust and help identify what their individual needs are and what we can do to help motivate them.”
Anderson hopes the results of the KING 5 News poll will motivate the public to push for real solutions.
“All of us are seeing it every day, all the time,” she said. “Maybe we're sick and tired enough to force change. That's the only way change has ever come.”