What Works Cities: Seattle’s data-driven homeless pilot

It took a New York organization to shed light on what has been going on behind the scenes as Seattle tackles the homeless crisis.

So what is happening? In short — data.

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Aside from homeless encampments and regulations around encampments, little has been made public about what Seattle has been up to ever since Mayor Ed Murray declared a state of emergency over the homeless crisis in 2015.

The city hired a homelessness czar, but it hasn’t been made clear what he has been doing. A consultant named Barbra Poppe was also brought in, but it is unclear if her recommendations have been implemented. A navigation team was formed, but a place for them to divert people on the streets is yet to be established.

What Works Cities

But a video via What Works Cities is telling Seattle’s story. What Works Cities is a project from Bloomberg Philanthropies — founded by former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg. It’s a project that aims to use data to improve city government — in Seattle’s case, tackle the homeless crisis.

Bloomberg partnered with experts at Harvard’s Government Performance Lab to start a data-driven pilot program for Seattle.

The video from What Works Cities explains that Seattle has consolidated contracts with homeless services providers; prioritized services that place people in permanent housing; and is using data to find out what is effective in solving homelessness. The programs must document their effectiveness.

Among the providers featured in the video is Mary’s Place and the YMCA. Those two service providers placed twice as many families in permanent housing during the first six months of the data-driven pilot, according to the video.

KIRO Radio contributed to this story.

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