WA Ranks 3rd in U.S. for Homelessness Crisis, Which County Is #1?

It’s no surprise that the homeless population is increasing everywhere. There are fingers pointing blame in every direction, and in many ways, all of them are correct. How can we fix it?

How can we help people? If the answer were an easy one, there wouldn’t be articles like this one talking about the crisis here in Washington, and the county with the largest amount.

Washington Has the 3rd Highest Homeless Population

Last year, it was reported by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that Washington state had the 3rd highest homeless population in the entire country. IN THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! That is not something to be proud of, Olympia!

Maybe if Thurston County (which is where Olympia is located) were the highest county for homelessness instead of King County, our local politicians would do something different. But what?

The Complex Causes of Homelessness in Washington

That is the million-dollar question: how can we end homelessness? The economy isn’t great, so that’s not helpful. The drug epidemic doesn’t show signs of slowing down.

READ MORE: Top 3 Cities For Homelessness In The Pacific Northwest

Mental illness is an area that is being addressed, but funds and care versus the need seem to be a lopsided battle. And the one aspect that doesn’t seem to be addressed often is the fact that some people just enjoy being homeless.

Taxes, laws, society standards, forget them! Some people prefer the freedom being homeless gives them. Many times, that freedom doesn’t align with trespassing and other laws.

Can Washington Find a Real Solution to Homelessness?

With King County having the highest rate of homelessness in our state, that’s no real surprise, when you look at the amount of population and the cost of living, but is there any way to fix it? I don’t know, but I sure hope so.

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An Interesting AI experiment.

I asked ChatGPT how we could fix homelessness, and it's response was pretty insightful.

• 1: Start by giving people a place to live.

• 2: Offer help (mental, substance abuse, job training).

• 3: Look at root causes for homelessness (financially able to support themselves and family, health care access).

• 4: Address the programs that may cause homelessness. This one is a very interesting step I hadn’t thought of. Foster Care, which can be great for people, but children who age out of the program may end up on the street. Criminals once released from prison may not have anywhere to go. Unlawful evictions.

• 5: Community involvement and not just the government.

• 6: Some people choose the streets. For those, Chat GPT suggested not to criminalize them, but designate a safe ‘low-barrier shelter’ for them.

It did recognize that everyone has their own story, and so there is no one easy fix-all.

“You fix it person by person, not in bulk.” – Chat GPT.