Encampments as neighbors: Encampment location and proximity to amenities among Seattle, WA’s unhoused population

In the United States, no jurisdiction guarantees the basic conditions necessary for health, such asstable housing, even as homelessness continues to intensify. King County, Washington, the twelfthlargest U.S. county, hosts the fourth largest population of people experiencing homelessness, many ofwhom reside in Seattle. Discouraging encampments and providing shelter beds has proven ineffective.We investigate how encampments’ proximity to basic amenities compares to those in emergencyshelters and rental units. We analyze rich spatial, administrative, and outreach worker data fromSeattle’s Evergreen Treatment Services (REACH) on individuals living in tents and on the street from2016 to 2022. We discuss the implications of providing effective support for people living unhousedand provide, to our knowledge, the most comprehensive and recent study of neighborhood amenitiesproximity among the unsheltered population in Seattle, WA. We find that, in most neighborhoods,encampment locations are similarly located in proximity to a range of amenities as rental units.Additionally, encampments were located closer than shelters to certain amenities, especially food-related ones, excluding food banks, suggesting that they may offer opportunities for meeting basicneeds, and accessing WiFi. We conclude that housing options that feel like homes rather thaninstitutions are crucial in supporting the unhoused population. Our findings suggest that emergencyshelters should be more integrated into neighborhoods and better reflect the proximity to amenitiesof tent encampments and rentals.