What are the primary drivers of homelessness in Washington? a. Drug addiction b. Mental illness c. Lack of affordable housing and stagnant wagesSee the answerc. Lack of affordable housing and stagnant wages Homelessness in Washington is primarily driven by a lack of affordable housing and wages that have not kept pace with increasing housing costs. (Source: Washington State Department of Commerce)
True or false: Pay has increased more sharply than housing prices.See the answerFalse. Home prices and rental rates have gone way up in recent years. But wages? Not so much. Incomes actually dropped by 7 percent between 2006 and 2014 for people in the lowest 20 percent rung of income in our state. Median rents, on the other hand, rose by 11 percent during the same period. (Source: Washington State Department of Commerce)
True or false: A $100 increase in median rent equals 2,900 more people who are homeless.See the answerTrue. Researchers have found that, generally, every $100 increase in median rent in the U.S. is associated with a 6 percent increase in homelessness in metro areas and a 32 percent increase in homelessness in non-metro areas. Those living in poverty are even more vulnerable. For these individuals, every $100 increase in median rent is associated with a 14.5 percent increase in homelessness in metro areas and a 39 percent increase in homelessness in non-metro areas. Following this, in Washington each increase in rent of $100 means there will be 2,900 people experiencing homelessness at a point in time. (Source: Journal of Urban Affairs, New Perspectives on Community-Level Determinants of Homelessness, 2012)
What percentage of Washington households are paying more, or far more, than they can afford for housing? a. 17 percent b. 24 percent c. 36 percent See the answerc. 36 percent of Washington households are paying more than they can afford for housing. Housing is considered affordable when it consumes no more than 30 percent of a household’s income. Thirty-six percent (936,260) of Washington’s households spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing.
True or false: People of color are disproportionately affected by the housing affordability crisis.See the answerTrue. In 2017, approximately 55 percent of individuals experiencing homelessness in Seattle/King County identified as people of color. When compared to the demographic racial profiles of the county’s general population, the largest disparities were observed among those who identified as Black or African American (29 percent compared to 6 percent), Hispanic or Latino (14 percent compared to 9 percent), American Indian or Alaska Native (6 percent compared to 1 percent), and with multiple races (15 percent compared to 6 percent).
True or false: There’s enough shelter space in Seattle for everyone who is camping outside.See the answerFalse. The 2017 Count Us In survey found more than 8,476 people experiencing homelessness in Seattle. Yet, the City only provides approximately 2,000 units of emergency shelter and transitional housing each night. As a result, thousands of people are forced to live outside or in vehicles in Seattle. This means even individuals living outdoors who are contacted by outreach workers and accept their offer of help may nonetheless end up on a waiting list for a shelter bed. Further, those who do receive referrals to shelters may later be turned away because they lack proper identification or have criminal records. Others are excluded from shelters because they don’t want to be separated from their children, partner, pet, or belongings. And most shelters impose conditions, such as curfews that make holding a nighttime or irregular shift job impossible, or sobriety, that individuals with substance abuse disorders are unable to meet.
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