City Sanctioned Homeless Encampments: A Case Study Analysis of Seattle's City-Permitted Villages
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Date
2019-05
Authors
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Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The Ohio State University
Abstract
The United States is amid an affordable housing crisis, which has further perpetuated a homelessness crisis. As cities increasingly respond to the proliferation of homelessness with criminalization as a means of managing visible poverty, homeless individuals are left with no legal place to exist. Many homeless individuals come together to form supportive communities and provide a sense of belonging through homeless encampments, sometimes referred to as tent cities due to their unique urban form. Public officials often derail this nontraditional settlement pattern through sweeps, and cite zoning and public perception as the driving force behind their decisions. In spite of this, homeless encampments have persisted. Seattle has created a legalized form of encampments that relies on a partnership between the city and nonprofits, the first of its kind in the country. This research is a case study analysis that seeks to understand the historical context that contributed to the implementation of Seattleās network of permitted villages, and what lessons can be learned from their development thus far. This is meant to ultimately inform cities with similar growth of unsheltered homelessness a more sustainable means of mitigating the hardships of such a vulnerable population.
Description
Outstanding Senior Project in City & Regional Planning
Keywords
homeless encampments, homelessness, tiny house, Seattle homelessness, homeless