According to the most recent Point-in-Time Count, more than 18,000 people experience homelessness on any given night in King County.
The number of people experiencing homelessness in a year, in total, is much greater. While many achieve housing and stability each year with the support of dozens of service providers across the region, homelessness continues to rise because the need outpaces available resources. Without a significant change to our community response, modeling indicates that the number of people experiencing homelessness will continue to grow.
Homelessness is a complex, cross-system issue. Stabilizing and ultimately solving it will require collaboration, innovation, and investment.
A Path Forward: Our 5-Year Plan to Stabilize and Decrease Homelessness
KCRHA’s Five-Year Plan was published and formally adopted in 2023. We amended the plan to align with our updated Interlocal Agreement and state requirements in 2026. The Governing Board approved the addendum in February 2026 during a special meeting. The Five-Year Plan Addendum is the result of deep research into evidence-based practices, thoughtful analysis, and many months of community engagement—from service providers, government partners, business and community leaders, and KCRHA staff. The goals included in the Five-Year Plan Addendum outline the bold actions necessary to stabilize the regional homelessness response system so we can make measurable strides in decreasing homelessness across King County. Homelessness is a complex issue resulting from many cross-system failures—as such, implementing this plan requires deliberative and intentional collaboration across and beyond the homelessness sector.
It Takes All of Us Working Together
We are making progress — but we have a long way to go.
We can only be successful if our whole community—government, businesses, philanthropy, service providers, nonprofits, and people like you—comes together around a shared vision and plan to dramatically reduce unsheltered homelessness.
Working together, we can help more people move inside, because everyone deserves a safe and stable place to live.