Homelessness Still Rising in Washington’s 2026 Count, but at a Slower Pace

The King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) has released an initial view of homelessness in King County, based on Point-in-Time (PIT) Count and Housing Inventory Count (HIC) data collected in early 2026. The PIT Count estimates the number of people experiencing homelessness on a given night. The HIC catalogs available shelter and housing inventory on a single night. A comprehensive report with additional analysis will be published later this year.

Since 2022, KCRHA has used Respondent Driven Sampling for the unsheltered count, in partnership with the University of Washington, which the agency says supports a more reliable and ethical estimate. KCRHA also notes that these findings should be read alongside broader system flow trends. The homelessness response system helps many people exit homelessness each year, but continued inflow, limited shelter capacity, and a constrained supply of affordable housing mean more people enter the system than exit it.

The 2026 PIT Count shows that homelessness in King County continued to increase, though more slowly than in prior years. Between 2022 and 2024, the overall number of people experiencing homelessness rose by 26%. Between 2024 and 2026, that rate of increase slowed to 9%, which KCRHA says suggests some stabilization in the growth trajectory even as overall need continues to rise. According to the release, overall shelter capacity has remained relatively static in recent years, and the continued growth in homelessness, combined with limited expansion of shelter and housing resources, has contributed to an increase in unsheltered homelessness.

The release also states that each year the system helps thousands of households exit homelessness through shelter, diversion, rapid re-housing, permanent supportive housing, and other interventions. KCRHA says many programs are producing strong housing and stabilization outcomes. However, it reports that more households are being displaced into homelessness each year than the current system can provide long-term solutions for. KCRHA also states that homelessness disproportionately affects communities of color in King County and is an outcome of structural racism and racial inequities. The release reports over-representation of people who identify as Hispanic/Latina/e/o, Black/African American/African, Multi-Racial, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native/Indigenous compared with census-based population estimates. It notes that the methodology for reporting race and ethnicity was adjusted for 2026, particularly for people who identify as Multi-Racial and Hispanic/Latina/o.

The estimated number of families experiencing homelessness went from 1,428 in 2024 to 1,370 in 2026. Unsheltered family homelessness has increased since 2022, rising from 1,253 individuals in 415 households to 2,224 individuals in 647 households in 2026. Between 2025 and 2026, shelter beds fell from 5,958 to 5,269, a reduction of 689. KCRHA says this decline was driven in significant part by losses in household and family shelter capacity. Even so, 52% of individuals in families are sheltered, compared with 36% of all individuals experiencing homelessness, a moment that calls for protecting children and families who have the least say in where they sleep (Psalm 82:3).

The release notes that experiencing homelessness is traumatic and can trigger, create, or exacerbate health conditions, disability, substance use disorder, and mental and behavioral health conditions. It also says homelessness can make it harder to access treatment and care. Individuals self-reported their vulnerabilities, and some may be counted in more than one group. The 2026 PIT Count recorded 11,829 unsheltered individuals, 6,536 sheltered individuals, and 18,365 individuals overall.

Source: Read the original report