The Seattle-King County Coalition for the Homeless estimates that 8,300 people are experiencing homelessness on any given night in Seattle and King County. Each year, the Seattle King County Coalition for the Homeless sponsors a One Night Count that includes a count of people found on the streets and people staying in shelter and transitional housing programs.

For more information on homelessness in the Seattle-King County area, visit:

Poor health is both a cause and a consequence of homelessness.

• Much like over 40 million other Americans, most homeless people do not have health insurance. The onset of an illness or disability can easily result in homelessness.
• Homelessness is a public health issue. There is a high prevalence of infectious diseases, mental illness, and co-occuring addiction disorders among people experiencing homelessness.
• Homeless people often have trouble making and keeping medical appointments due to competing priorities in their lives-such as getting a shelter bed for the night.
• People experiencing homelessness often have no place to rest and recuperate, or to store medications.

To learn more about homelessness and health, visit the National Health Care for the Homeless Council and the Health Care for the Homeless Information Resource Center.