Our Blog

King County’s Latest Point-in-Time Count shows thousands of people leave homelessness each year, but even more continue to fall into it

When the King County Regional Homelessness Authority released its 2026 Point-in-Time Count yesterday, many people saw one headline: Homelessness is increasing.

Some will use those numbers to argue that our current response has failed. But the data tells a different, more nuanced, story.

DESC’s 20^th permanent supportive housing location, Birch Grove, is named after a former client and forever friend  

DESC’s newest permanent supportive housing location, Birch Grove, is named in honor of Helen Birch: a longtime DESC client, tenant, and beloved member of our community.  

With a unique journey from outreach to housing, and unwavering support from DESC staff every step of the way, Helen’s story embodies the spirit of the work we do. 

Last month, DESC’s Opioid Recovery & Care Access (ORCA) team joined community partners and the Seattle Fire Department for a three-day public health outreach event at Hoa Mai Park in Seattle’s Little Saigon neighborhood.

The event connected people living with opioid use disorder to treatment, medical care, and ongoing support — including helping people get started on medication for opioid use disorder, an evidence-based treatment that can reduce cravings, prevent overdose, and support long-term recovery.

DESC will continue to provide mobile crisis response through the King County-funded Mobile Rapid Response Crisis Team (MRRCT) 

DESC Mobile Response Team (MRT) will close on May 31, 2026. 

Launched in April 2022, MRT offered two primary services: crisis response and pre- and post-crisis support. The program was designed to promote housing stability for tenants in permanent supportive housing and support the well-being of people experiencing complex behavioral health and medical needs. 

Expanding shelter is critical — lasting solutions require investing in both high-support shelter and permanent supportive housing 

DESC welcomes the City of Seattle’s and King County’s efforts to expand shelter capacity and invest in a more robust, responsive homelessness response system. Our community needs both immediate and long-term solutions, and that means investing in high-support shelter while also stabilizing and expanding permanent supportive housing. It is not “shelter versus housing”— it is both. We need a system that meets people where they are today while building clear, supported pathways to long-term stability.