Abstract:
Point-in-time” counts of those experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the United States are at their highest levels in over a decade. In response, some cities have undertaken “encampment closures” in which individuals residing at an encampment site are made offers for shelter, but, regardless of take-up, must evacuate a site within a short period of time (e.g., 72 hours). Despite becoming a more widespread practice, little has been documented about the effects of these closures. I create a novel dataset of encampment locations and closures from 2017 to present in Seattle, WA, and use high-frequency administrative data to estimate the impact of Seattle’s encampment closures on fire/EMS 911 calls, police calls for service, crime incidence, and property complaints. Future work will be needed to evaluate the impact of these closures on residents’ health, housing stability, and engagement with public services.