Press Advisory — June 24, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — Media Contact:
Jessica Schreindl
Senior Manager of Communications
Downtown Emergency Service Center
jschreindl@desc.org | (206) 380-2647
DESC Responds to 2026 Point-in-Time Count Findings
SEATTLE, Wash. — June 24, 2026 — The King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) yesterday released the results of its 2026 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count, an annual snapshot of homelessness in King County.
The count found that homelessness continues to increase across the region, reflecting the ongoing challenges posed by a severe housing affordability crisis and a homelessness response system that remains significantly under-resourced.
In response to the findings, DESC Executive Director Daniel Malone issued the following statement:
“The Point-in-Time Count captures how many people are experiencing homelessness on a single night in King County, but it doesn’t show the thousands of people who exit homelessness every year. If you look beyond the headline number, you’ll see a homelessness response system that is doing great work — but is severely overburdened.
In 2025, more than 10,800 people in King County moved into or remained successfully housed in permanent supportive housing. At DESC alone, we permanently housed more than 2,000 formerly chronically homeless individuals, served more than 6,500 people across our programs, and achieved housing retention rates of 98% after one year and 83% after five years.
The reality is that we are helping thousands of people leave homelessness every year. The challenge is that more people are being pushed into homelessness by the housing affordability crisis than we currently have the housing and resources to help. That’s not evidence that our solutions aren’t working — it’s evidence that we need more of them.”
— Daniel Malone, executive director, DESC
While the Point-in-Time Count provides an important measure of homelessness on a single night, it does not capture the full flow of people entering and exiting homelessness throughout the year. Service providers across King County continue to help thousands of people move into stable housing annually, even as rising rents, stagnant incomes, and a shortage of affordable housing push more people into homelessness.
For additional context and analysis of the 2026 Point-in-Time Count findings, read DESC’s blog post: “The Faucet Is Still On: Why Homelessness Keeps Rising.”
About DESC
The Downtown Emergency Service Center (preferred name DESC) works to end chronic homelessness in Seattle and King County by combining permanent supportive housing with health care and other services. DESC’s continuum of care includes street outreach, low-barrier shelters, crisis response, behavioral and medical health services, and nearly 2,000 units of permanent supportive housing. For more information, visit www.desc.org.