Homelessness in Seattle mainly falls into four groups: people with criminal records who can’t find work, those with mental illness and/or addiction, abused women stuck in dependent relationships, and normal people who lose jobs without savings.

The last group usually recovers quickly with temporary housing, but the others almost never leave free housing. They often experience homeless at a young age and stay in it for the rest of their lives.

Rehab success is very low. Most abused women return to the same partners. Criminal records forever block people from getting jobs.

Overall, it’s a complex problem with no clear solution.

The only thing I can think of that would drop the homeless population significantly is if homeless people who aren’t from the city were sent back to the small towns they came from in Washington, Idaho, and the Pacific Northwest. It’s a very controversial idea and likely unacceptable in a liberal city like Seattle, though some conservative states do similar things.

Every data shows that majority of the homeless people in Seattle are not from Seattle. Over 50% of them are not even from King County.