One of the Seattle Human Services Department (HSD)'s six investment impacts areas is Addressing Homelessness. Our Department invests in a continuum of services intended to significantly decrease the incidence of homelessness and bring people indoors as soon as possible. According to the Point-in-Time Count, over 16,000 individuals experienced homelessness in King County on a single night in 2024. To meet this incredible challenge, HSD employs several strategies.
Chief among them is supporting a regional approach in partnership with King County. Since 2022, the City of Seattle has allocated the majority of its homelessness investments to theKing County Regional Homelessness Authority, which oversees emergency response and housing services. HSD also manages Prevention services that are intended to stop individuals on the cusp of homelessness from falling into crisis altogether.
Learn more about the city’s response to encampments—from 2017 to the present—and how to report them.
How is the City addressing homelessness?
- Prevention, Emergency, and Housing are the three primary investment areas for the homeless services system
- Prevention: Services to help people remain in their homes
- Emergency: Services that provide safe spaces for people to stay, and a connection to housing
- Housing: Services focused on permanent housing solutions including rapid re-housing, diversion, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing
