Colburn Quoted in Washington Post and the Seattle Times Discussing the Homelessness Crisis
Posted: 8/8/2024 (CSDE Research)
The Washington Post and the Seattle Times recently quoted CSDE Affiliate Gregg Colburn regarding Washington’s housing crises and rising homelessness. In the Washington Post story, Working Americans struggle with homeless crisis amid lack of affordable housing, and the Seattle Times story, How WA governor candidates want to tackle housing, homelessness, Colburn notes how the homeless crisis has been growing across the U.S. It is the “unfortunate but predictable result of ongoing rent increases,” says Dr. Colburn. Washington State has been dealing with this issue for quite some time. Homelessness rose as rent prices soared over the past decade, along with a shortage of housing or affordable housing for those with a median income. This issue has always ranked high among issues that Washington voters want to tackle, and now there is an upcoming election for governor. An expert in housing and the state of Washington’s challenges in this area, Colburn worries that if “elected leaders don’t understand the forces driving homelessness and housing affordability, then ‘most policy prescriptions will keep us in this situation for longer.’” Colburn is Associate Professor in UW’s Runstad Department of Real Estate and co-author of the book Homelessness is a Housing Problem: How Structural Factors Explain U.S. Patterns. To learn more, read the Washington Post article and the Seattle Times article.