Action Plan: Ending Homelessness for Families and Women in Seattle

Executive Summary and Problem Statement

Overview

The problem of homelessness in Seattle is likely to continue growing if no serious long-term interventions are instituted — especially when it comes to enabling people to not only find, but also keep, housing. Towards this end, there is a need for a deliberate plan that seeks to identify and highlight appropriate long-term responses to the homelessness problem in Seattle. It is important to note that homelessness afflicts not only those who sleep out in the cold and on hard concrete surfaces; its impact often extends far and wide. Homelessness bears significant economic, moral, and social costs — most acutely expressed through the innate human suffering it occasions and the resulting waste of human potential.

Problem Statement

In response to the Honorable Mayor's pledge of June 2nd, 1998 — to the effect that by Christmas the streets of Seattle would have neither (i) homeless families with children nor (ii) homeless single women — this action plan sets forth strategies for fulfilling that commitment.

Course of Action

The City's current approach to addressing homelessness functions more as a "control" measure. In addition to emphasizing services for homeless individuals, the City's existing plans spotlight the role of engaging other jurisdictions in the funding of homelessness services. Building on this foundation, this document proposes the following two strategic priorities:

(i) Provision of suitable housing
(ii) Enhancement of financial independence

Background: Quantifying Homelessness and Its Causes

Quantifying Homelessness

Obtaining an accurate count of the homeless population is a complex undertaking fraught with many challenges. This report draws largely on a February 1998 publication by the Seattle–King County Homelessness Advisory Group titled Homelessness in King County: A Background Report. The report focuses on two homeless categories: homeless families with children, and homeless single women.

King County has more than 5,500 homeless people — 76.4% of whom find shelter in temporary housing, while 23.6% are on the streets on any given night. Because single males are more likely to be sheltered than any other group, the most vulnerable segments of the homeless population are frequently turned away from temporary and emergency shelters. The breakdown of those sleeping on the streets is as follows:

Although Seattle is home to the significant majority of King County's shelters, those residing in those shelters come from all corners of the county — only 10% of homeless shelters are located outside Seattle. The target of this report is the 53.8% of street-sleeping homeless individuals who are either homeless single women or homeless families with children, which translates to approximately 700 persons.

Triggers of Homelessness

The exact triggers of homelessness are often difficult to isolate, given that it may result from the interaction of many factors. Common causes include abuse, addiction, mental health issues, inadequate affordable housing, and poverty. In Seattle specifically, three primary causes have been identified: inadequate income, personal or familial problems, and high housing costs.

Inadequate Income

Approximately 12.4% of King County residents live below the poverty level — a figure higher than the national average. Those in this category find it difficult to meet a wide range of necessities, including education, healthcare, and housing. The median household income for King County stands at $41,994. Individuals earning below this median may struggle to consistently meet their basic needs due to erratic paychecks or unemployment, meaning that unforeseen events such as accidents or illnesses can readily push them into homelessness.

High Cost of Housing

To understand the genesis of Seattle's high housing costs, some background is helpful. The creation of the Office of Economic Development (OED) was central to workforce development efforts and provided Mayor Norman Rice with a foundation for his social equity objectives. Together with the Seattle Jobs Initiative (SJI), many residents with inadequate incomes were able to access living-wage placements. However, the resulting economic growth also drove up the overall cost of living, including housing costs. Currently, those already at risk of homelessness — or already homeless — cannot afford average rent in Seattle. The situation is even more difficult for those with children or for single women unable to pool resources with a partner.

Personal or Familial Problems

Personal problems facing many homeless people include drug abuse and mental illness. Although drug abuse is sometimes understood as a consequence of homelessness — whereby newly homeless individuals enter depressed states and turn to substances — it has also been identified as a trigger in Seattle. Addictive tendencies are expensive to sustain and can lead to neglect of financial responsibilities, job loss, and disruption of family relationships. On the familial front, many homeless people in Seattle are victims of psychological, mental, or sexual abuse at home, which can force them out onto the streets.

The Cost of Homelessness

There are numerous economic, social, and moral costs associated with homelessness. As stated in Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, housing is one of the rights deemed necessary for the maintenance of living standards required for general well-being. Rights such as the right to health and the right to privacy can be easily compromised in the absence of decent shelter.

At the individual level, homelessness can lead to intense emotional and physical distress. Homeless individuals are exposed to harsh elements of nature and are prone to disease and insecurity. The situation is particularly damaging for children: exposure to circumstances arising from lack of shelter can seriously affect their moral, emotional, and social development. Studies have demonstrated that persons raised in an unstable housing cycle are more likely to experience homelessness as adults. In addressing the problem of homeless families with children in Seattle, a future problem is therefore simultaneously being averted. The City has a moral obligation to ensure that children are raised in an environment that supports proper development.

Homelessness also reduces quality of life for the broader community. Issues of encroachment into public and private space, along with concerns about perceived threats to safety, affect residents citywide. Tourism is similarly harmed: "people are less inclined to tour an area that seems 'rundown' due to fear of an increased crime rate and large drug use population."² Since tourism is a significant revenue source for the City, failure to address homelessness risks diminishing a key income stream.

Finally, public resources are consistently drained by homelessness. King County currently devotes millions of dollars annually to address the problem, with cities serving as key funders. A minimum of $6 million per year (from all sources) is allocated to support and operate the County's homeless shelters. In 1998 alone, the City spent approximately $7.8 million providing services to homeless individuals — nearly double the amount spent a decade earlier. This upward trajectory underscores the urgency of adopting long-term solutions rather than continually expanding short-term expenditures.

Proposed Course of Action: Provision of Suitable Housing

Without shelter, it becomes difficult for people to attain self-fulfillment, and homelessness denies the community the full participation of all its members. For these and other reasons outlined in the cost analysis above, this action plan deems the establishment of homes for the identified group to be a matter of great importance. "Suitable" housing is defined along two parameters:

(i) Affordable — meaning that a home must match the financial capabilities of its occupants.
(ii) Appropriate — meaning that a home must match the occupants' needs and circumstances. For example, a unit designed for a family with children would not be considered appropriate for a single woman.

In adopting a long-term model for supportive housing, this plan designates mini-homes and mini-home communities as the most appropriate framework for subsidized housing — one that can deliver a supportive housing solution within a six-month period. The mini-home model has been selected for two key reasons:

(i) Providing subsidized housing in conventional formats would be prohibitively expensive. It is estimated that the cost can be reduced by approximately half through the use of mini-homes, allowing available resources to accommodate more people. Survey data indicates that at least 1,300 individuals are currently on the streets without shelter, of whom 700 fall within the Mayor's pledge bracket. Mini-homes represent the most practical means of housing that number without overstretching limited resources.

(ii) Mini-homes offer the most flexible solution for accommodating both homeless single women and homeless families with children. Single women will be housed in a single unit; families with children will be housed in double or triple mini-home units — aggregated single units — depending on family size.

Defining the Framework

Mini-homes are designed as a longer-term solution that also functions as emergency and transitional shelter. At a minimum, the following standards will be adopted in their construction.

For single women:
(i) Each unit will provide adequate space for a standard-sized table and chair, a standard bed, and a 3-by-3 foot storage space.
(ii) Each unit will be built using long-lasting materials, have a ceiling height of 7 feet, and be appropriately insulated.
(iii) A maximum of ten mini-homes will share the same cooking and bathroom facilities.

For homeless families with children:
(i) Two or three mini-home units will be aggregated, with one unit containing a standard-sized table and chair and the remaining unit(s) equipped with a standard bed and/or a baby bed.
(ii) A maximum of five such dwelling clusters will share the same cooking and bathroom facilities.

A key advantage of mini-homes over other housing options is minimal cost — the average cost for a single unit is approximately $2,500. In this case, however, costs will be somewhat higher due to two factors: (i) the inclusion of permanency features such as the use of durable building materials, and (ii) the establishment of separate shared cooking and bathroom facilities.

Implementation: Regulations

The City's planning department will be engaged early to navigate local land use regulations. Of particular concern will be zoning regulations and zone densities, given that the plan involves the use of several single parcels of land for the development of detached small housing units. Implementation of the proposals may require modification of the City's zoning code.

Implementation: Financing

Grants, rather than loans, are the preferred funding mechanism for this action plan. Because the target population — homeless families with children and homeless single women — has little or no income, rental income from the project is unlikely to be sufficient to guarantee loan repayment. Since most public funders favor repayable loans, the funding strategy must prioritize avenues with the highest subsidy opportunities. The following sources will be pursued:

(i) The City in Collaboration with Other Jurisdictions: Given that Seattle is home to the vast majority of the County's homeless population, other jurisdictions should fund a defined share of the budget. It is proposed that 50% of the budget be funded by the City in collaboration with other jurisdictions, with each jurisdiction's contribution to be determined through high-level consultations.

(ii) The Housing and Urban Development (HUD) HOME Program: The HUD HOME program advances "grants to states and units of general local governments to implement local housing strategies designed to increase home ownership and affordable housing opportunities for low and very low-income Americans." To qualify, housing units must satisfy HUD's Housing Quality Standards (HQS). The proposed mini-homes will meet those standards.

(iii) The Washington State Housing Trust Fund: This fund provides assistance in the resettlement of homeless people by supporting the construction and establishment of housing projects intended to offer some level of permanent residency.

Mini-Homes Capital Funding

With a cost of $3,000 per unit, the total project development budget is $4.2 million. Land will be donated. The capital sources and capital expenditures are summarized below.

Mini-Homes Operational Funding

From December 25th, 1998, the mini-homes will require ongoing service and operational funding. The annual operating funding sources and expenditures are as follows: