The county is taking a ‘Housing First’ approach that prioritizes getting people into housing, then offering wraparound supportive services.
Participants in King County’ Washington’s Health Through Housing initiative (HTH), a ‘Housing First’ approach to assisting unhoused residents, are seeing marked improvements in their health, reports Guy Oron for Real Change.
People in the program, which has served close to 2,000 residents between 2021 and 2024, visited emergency rooms 17 percent fewer times and spent 33 percent fewer days in the hospital after one year of living in housing. “King County HTH initiative manager Jelani Jackson said the data shows that relieving people from the constant stress and trauma of homelessness directly leads to them getting healthier.”
As Oron explains, “Unlike traditional affordable housing, HTH providers operate what is known as permanent supportive housing, which offers residents additional wraparound social services and case management.” The program allows people to stay in supportive housing indefinitely, allowing them to receive the services they need. HTH is also focused on eliminating housing inequity in King County by serving vulnerable populations including Black and Native American clients.
FULL STORY: Housing-first program improved health of nearly 2,000 homeless King County residents
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