The City of Seattle’s Human Services Department (HSD) has released the fourth quarter (Q4) performance data for programs that receive City funding to serve people experiencing homelessness. Mid-year data for 2019 was last published in September 2019. The finalization and release of Q4 data was significantly delayed due to the onset of COVID-19, which required HSD staffing resources to be diverted to pandemic response. 

The Q4 data affirms that the 2017 Homelessness Investments RFP, which realigned HSD’s homelessness response portfolio to focus more on throughput and permanent housing outcomes, continues to achieve these outcomes, with more unsheltered people served and moved into housing. After reviewing three full years of data performance, HSD believes the metrics have stabilized and remains steady with programs such as tiny house villages and enhanced shelters continuing to show success in moving people into housing.  

The full report is available here: Homeless Investment 2019 Q4 Performance Outcomes

Given the ongoing response and recovery to COVID-19, HSD has waived performance metrics for services providers in 2020 and has continued to deploy staffing resources to virus response. HSD does not have a timetable for releasing 2020 data performance and anticipates data sets will likely vary when compared to previous years due to the extraordinary challenges COVID-19 presents to service providers and clients.