homelessness Archives | Northwest Public Broadcasting

Seattle Faces Backlash After Easing Up On Punishing Crimes Involving Mental Illness

By NPR News July 12, 2019

In this incident in April, captured on a police officer's body camera, it took nearly two hours of negotiations and at least a dozen police officers to safely subdue a man with mental illness who had taken over an alleyway. Courtesy of city of Seattle

Seattle is grappling with a crisis of what is sometimes called "visible homelessness" — people who live in the street and struggle with mental illness or drug addiction. It's a population that often commits small crimes, such as disorderly conduct or shoplifting to pay for drugs. And public frustration is growing. Read More

Rural Homelessness Is Very Real — But Harder To See And Help

By NPR News July 4, 2019

Homeless residents often live outdoors in tents in rural Kentucky. Rarely pitched out in the open, like this one in Lexington, most are hidden in thick bushes of wooded areas. CREDIT: Mary Meehan/WEKU

Homelessness is often considered an urban phenomenon. But those who work on homeless issues say rural homelessness is a growing problem, too. That's true across the state and across the country. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, NPR, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health reported in May that one in three rural Americans say homelessness is a problem in their Read More

Homelessness On The Palouse

By Murrow News - Lindsey Jensen February 24, 2019

A new proposed bill aims to employ the homeless in three cities in Washington. Washington State Senator, Hans Zeiger of District 25, sponsors this bill and hopes it passes in April. Continue Reading Homelessness On The PalouseRead More

Microsoft Pledges $500 Million To Address Homelessness And Affordable Housing In Seattle Area

By NPR News January 17, 2019

Brad Smith, president of Microsoft Corp., speaks during a presentation on affordable housing in Bellevue, Wash., on Thursday. Microsoft Corp. said it will spend $500 million to develop affordable housing and help alleviate homelessness in the Seattle area. CREDIT: Bloomberg via Getty Images

Microsoft is investing $500 million to help develop affordable housing and address homelessness in the Seattle area as the growth of tech companies in the region continues to flood the real estate market with high-salaried workers, leaving many other people behind. Read More

Ruling Favoring Homeless Individuals Could Have Big Impact On Northwest Cities’ Anti-Camping Laws

By Dirk VanderHart September 5, 2018

Taz Harrington, right, sleeps with his girlfriend, Melissa Ann Whitehead, on a street in downtown Portland, Oregon. CREDIT: TED S. WARREN/AP

The city of Portland will not change how it enforces its anti-camping law, following a sweeping opinion by a federal appeals court on Tuesday that similar rules might violate the constitutional rights of homeless citizens. Read More

First-Ever Evictions Database Shows: ‘We’re In the Middle Of A Housing Crisis’

By NPR News April 13, 2018

Matthew Desmond estimates that 2.3 million evictions were filed in the U.S. in 2016 — a rate of four every minute. "Eviction isn't just a condition of poverty; it's a cause of poverty," he says. Continue Reading First-Ever Evictions Read More

‘Don’t You Live With Ms. Juana?’ Student Homelessness In Migrant Central Washington

By Esmy Jimenez November 22, 2017

Listen Orondo, Washington, lies on the Columbia River between Chelan and Wenatchee. Its population fluctuates with the growing season as migrants work surrounding fruit orchards. This small town’s school district has the largest percentage of homeless students in the state. For the 2015-2016 year, nearly half of the 156 students in Orondo were in a… Read More

Former Washington Gov. Mike Lowry Dies

By Austin Jenkins May 1, 2017

Former Washington governor Mike Lowry, an unapologetic liberal who advocated for higher taxes and social programs, died Monday from complications related to a stroke. He was 78. Continue Reading Former Washington Gov. Mike Lowry DiesRead More