About Vehicle Residency in King County:

Throughout the United States, particularly along the west coast, more people are living in their vehicles than ever.

In 2017, 2,314 people living in vehicles were counted in King County on one night in January, which comes to 42% of the unduplicated, unsheltered count. It is very difficult to count how many people are living in their vehicles, however, due to vehicle mobility, desire of residents to “hide”, and difficulty for counters to discern if someone is living in a vehicle.

People are living in their vehicles in neighborhoods throughout Seattle and in cities and towns throughout King County. By 2020 there were more than 2700 persons living in vehicles and the proportion of unsheltered revealed 50% living in vehicles.

Living in a vehicle, particularly RVs or vans, can be a temporary solution to rising housing costs, job loss, medical crisis, or family crisis.

Living in vehicles, as a last resource, can also be unsafe, worsen the health of inhabitants, and expensive, due to maintenance costs, fees, fines, and more costs.

In urban and suburban settings, “vehicle residents” are parking on public streets, in some cases adjacent to private businesses and homes, creating neighborhood concerns that range from disagreements to efforts to assist their well-being.

Overview of People Living in Vehicles and Related Engagement:

Like other people experiencing homelessness, vehicle residents will either find housing on their own or will need support finding and securing housing. Unlike other people experiencing homelessness, some vehicle residents do not consider themselves homeless. For a small segment, a RV or van can be considered stable housing when a safe off-street place to park exists.

Some vehicle residents seek out services on their own, and some are isolated from services, particularly if the vehicle is not operable or gas money is not handy.

Police departments, parks staff, social services outreach workers, and volunteers are interacting with vehicle residents daily in cities and towns across King County without adequate tools to help.

Targeted outreach that coincides with Coordinated Entry for All (CEA) protocols and goals must become the primary outreach but to date has not filled this gap. CEA networks must become more focused on the streets with mobile outreach protocols.

In Seattle, an insufficient number of social services outreach workers (funded publicly) reach out to people living in vehicles to connect them to services, housing, and safe lots. In other parts of the county, there is very minimal social services outreach. Across all King County cities, a small number of volunteers provide informal outreach.

In most of Seattle and throughout King County, the police department (and parking enforcement) is the primary point of contact with vehicle residents. Many interactions are in response to citizen complaints. In Seattle, the Scofflaw Ordinance (2011) is currently mitigated through the Seattle Scofflaw Mitigation Project (SMP), a volunteer effort enlisting Seattle Parking Enforcement and the Seattle Municipal Court. The SMP is unfunded by the City. No such effort exists countywide. This effort must become systematized through and with the public safety sector to work as a pathway to stability via engagement, outreach, assessment, and referral.

Policy Vision Statement

People living in vehicles collectively constitute a significant population of King County residents experiencing homelessness. They are human beings, not criminals, facing distinct and unique life circumstances. They need safe and legal places to park, access to resources, and support to transition to housing. They should be treated humanely and compassionately, with coordinated and appropriate services determined systemically. For a small segment, the desire to reside in a RV will require safe venues, possibly via the private market.

Solutions

City Administrators (and Community/Human Services Departments)

Fund programs for outreach to people living in vehicles. Funding could come from existing public safety or human services budgets, philanthropy or corporate donations, or general funds, and must include funds to address immediate harm reduction, such as necessary repair, legal issues, and so on.
Review cost-effectiveness of safe lots and safe zones for housing placement and retention
Align contracts with outreach teams to emphasize exiting immediate harm, and move toward stabilization, and connection to housing
Provide access to hygiene services, waste removal, and public health opportunities
Review and amend policies, practices, and law that sustain and./or  increase the cycle of involvement in criminal justice system and escalate legal financial obligations (include reference and use of Seattle University analyses released 2016-2018).
Determine pathways to restore the legal status for driver and vehicle, to include addressing out of state ticketing and licensing, building stronger partnerships with Courts.

Police, Fire, and Parking Enforcement:

Be equipped to provide clear information to vehicle residents about what is legal and illegal, how to connect to systemic services, to include where housing, treatment, employment, and other services can be found.
Use a community policing approach for engaging with people living in vehicles, and set expectations for the urgent enforcement of laws that adds harm suspension practices and utilizes outreach partnerships.
Provide clear information to housed neighbors about what is legal and illegal. Neighbors observing criminal activity by anyone (including those living in cars) should feel their police are responsive while understanding the legalities of vehicular residency.
Coordinate with service providers to reduce criminal justice involvement and support positive outcomes, such as the LEAD, Navigation Teams, MDOT, and other operational workgroup examples.

Social Services Providers, and Others Doing Outreach and Hosting Sites

Include outreach in partnership with appropriate public safety officers to vehicle residents as part of normal service delivery and funding thereof
Align outreach efforts to ensure access to primary and behavioral health services, and immediate medical options when necessary  
Emphasize stabilization and connection to housing using Coordinated Entry (CEA) wherever publicly funded outreach is occurring
Raise flexible funding to be used to support vehicle residents to keep vehicles street legal (i.e., title, tabs, tickets, DL insurance) and compliant with local ordinances
Utilize provider-owned property, private property to include retail and commercial, and faith community property to host vehicle residents

King County Regional Homelessness Authority

KCRHA.org 

Connect Coordinated Entry (CEA) and existing diversion and navigation funds to vehicle residents, modifying where necessary to bring outreach to the streets

Development of companionship support models and self-use tools to help congregations, businesses, cities, and providers to be companions with vehicle residents, foster safe sites, and guide those at risk to pathways to exit homelessness.

Development of tools to help service providers and other partners work more efficiently with existing and future safe parking programs with public safety, businesses, residents, and neighbors.

Awareness building targeted to vehicle residents, businesses, congregations, and housed residents

Regular stakeholder meetings of all who work with vehicle residents, convened by advocates with the public sector, for consistent performance and to amend work plans, as needed

Regularly review data and protocols that lead us to continue to adapt these recommendations

Businesses, Congregations, and volunteers

Identify, access and connect new congregations and businesses to opportunities to host vehicles in their on-site parking lots
Create a flexible fund to be used for supporting stability, housing placement, and on-host-site capital needs.

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