Homeless in Washington State

Washington pays for homelessness, and pays and pays and pays

The State of Washington spent $5 billion on homelessness prevention programs over the last 12 years, but there has been little measurable impact so far. There are currently more homeless people in Washington than at any point since at least 2016.

Yet according to the state's biannual Snapshot of Homelessness reports, there are currently more people in need of housing than ever. Washington had 126,091 homeless people in January 2016, but 158,791 people in January 2025 — a 26% increase.

Washington's total population has only grown by 9% since 2016, meaning homelessness is outpacing population growth despite an unprecedented amount of spending designed to prevent that trend.

Washington will spend $1.8 billion on homeless services and housing in 2026 and 2027, or $900 million per year.

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Google says--Washington state is reliably considered a "blue state." It has consistently voted for the Democratic candidate in every presidential election since 1988. This trend is primarily driven by its strong support for Democrats in urban areas like King County (Seattle), which contains nearly a third of the state's voters.

"Homelessness is prevalent in "blue" (Democrat-leaning) states, particularly coastal ones, due to high housing costs, greater availability of social services, and more lenient policies regarding public space and drug use compared to "red" (Republican-leaning) states."