Washington Governor Jay Inslee has revealed that his statewide Rights-of-Way Safety Initiative, aimed at removing homeless camps from state property near roads and providing housing for camp residents, requires additional funding to continue. The initiative, which began in June 2022, has already spent $143 million in a little over a year.
Inslee expressed the need for additional funding from the legislature in January to sustain the initiative’s progress. During a tour of a tiny home village funded by the initiative in Olympia, the governor emphasized that without increased funding, camps will remain on state lands.
As of July 31, the initiative had removed around 1,300 people from roadside camps, with approximately 430 individuals declining help to find temporary or permanent shelter. The cost per person for camp clearance and housing for 870 people amounted to $165,000.
While 126 people successfully transitioned to permanent housing or living with family members, the initiative aims to address a much larger issue in Washington, where the homeless population ranks as the fourth-largest in the country. Roughly half of the state’s homeless population is believed to be unsheltered, with many experiencing chronic homelessness.
The governor’s office noted that the initiative has contributed to neighborhood safety and provided nearly 1,000 people with access to housing and essential services, but emphasized the need for more significant state investment to address homelessness comprehensively.