A Portrait of the Unhoused Population of Seattle in 2023
Posted: 10/2/2025 (CSDE Seminar Series)
- When: Friday, October 10, 2025 (12:30 – 1:30PM)
- Where: 360 Parrington Hall and on Zoom
We look forward to welcoming a team of researchers from the University of Washington (UW) Department of Sociology, led by CSDE Affiliate Nathalie Williams and including CSDE Trainees Hugo Aguas, Mingze Li, Aryaa Rajouria, as well as Yuanxi Li, Brandon Morande, and Caroline Teague, on Friday, October 10, in Parrington Hall 360 and on Zoom. All presenters are at the University of Washington and affiliated with the Sociology Department. This seminar is co-sponsored by the Population Health Initiative.
Surveys of people experiencing homelessness traditionally focus on questions related to their housing statuses, often excluding broader topics asked of the general population. As a result, research frequently fails to capture the full humanity and lived experiences of this diverse community. This Sound Data project seeks to address this gap by conducting a survey on a representative sample of unhoused respondents on a variety of subjects about social life and well-being. The report presents the results from a survey collected during Spring 2023 in Seattle, WA. This findings clarify the community’s demographic composition, highlights patterns in homelessness duration, eviction histories, forced displacement, and resource access, broadens our understanding of employment statuses, uncovers trends in physical, mental, and behavioral health conditions, and provides insight into the diversity of respondents’ religious, political, and national backgrounds.
Nathalie Williams is Professor of Sociology at Affiliate at CSDE. Her research focuses on migration and developing survey and analytical methods for hard-to-reach populations and complex demographic systems.
Hugo Aguas is a PhD student in Sociology and a CSDE Trainee whose research focuses on housing insecurity, homelessness, and poverty scholarship. He also works as an After-Hours Supervisor at Downtown Emergency Services Center (DESC) in Seattle, bridging academic research with frontline systems.
Mingze Li is a Sociology PhD student and a CSDE Trainee who has also received the CSDE Graduate Certificate in Demographic Methods. His research interests encompass migration, immigration, labor studies, and policy.
Yuanxi Li is an undergraduate student majoring in Sociology and Informatics. She is committed to utilizing mixed-methods research to address critical issues related to social justice and digital inequalities.
Brandon Morande is a PhD student in the Department of Sociology. His research broadly examines the relationships between poverty governance, neighborhood change, and placemaking in urban spaces.
Aryaa Rajouria is a doctoral student in Sociology and a CSDE trainee whose research examines how individuals and communities make decisions in times of uncertainty, particularly in relation to migration, displacement, and mobility.
Caroline Teague is a fourth-year undergraduate research assistant pursuing a B.A. in Sociology. Her work is primarily focused on survey methods, housing and homelessness, and transportation and urban planning.