(Image: CHS)
New “Point In Time” reporting reveals a sharp rise in King County’s unsheltered population, even as officials say the overall trajectory of the crisis may be slowing. Any slowdown is a complicated trend.
According to data from the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, the number of unsheltered individuals jumped from around 9,800 in 2024 to 11,829 in 2026, a 21% increase in people living on the streets, in vehicles, or in parks.
Meanwhile, the new report shows the total of overall homelessness increased only 9% as the sheltered population actually dropped in the two-year period. That trend isn’t good news. According to the report, the overall slowdown is due, in part, to changes in shelter capacity pushing people into the elements. Officials say the crisis has been compounded by a net loss of 689 emergency shelter beds across the system.
KCRHA officials are comparing the slowing 9% change in overall homelessness over the past two years to the 26% leap measured between 2022 and 2024.
Looking for hope? The report also says the system around KCRHA successfully housed or maintained housing for more than 10,000 households in 2025, the fourth straight year of increased housing outcomes.
Thousands of people within the KCRHA system are, indeed, being housed — but the number living unsheltered on the streets is growing faster. For those living unsheltered part of the 21% increase captured in the report, the rate has also slowed but not quickly enough. The 21% total continues a high growth rate in the population. Unsheltered totals leapt 28% in the previous period between 2022 and 2024.
To measure these totals, the King County Regional Homelessness Authority shifted from the practice of one-night observational street counts to “Respondent Driven Sampling.” The method relies on a coupon-based word-of-mouth network to generate what are considered high-quality statistical estimates. Staff also expanded hub sites based on community feedback, leading to more completed surveys and a more accurate count of the unsheltered population, KCRHA says.
The report arrives as city and county leaders have agreed on a plan to increase financial oversight of the authority after an audit identified deficiencies in the agency’s financial management, internal controls, and governance.
You can review the 2026 report here.
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