Funding Homeless Services: COVID19 and Beyond

Abstract

This research project will primarily analyze fiscal and policy changes as well as shifts in general practice occurring at Catholic Community Services of Western Washington (CCSWW) during the COVID19 pandemic, with a specific focus on changes felt within King County (CCSWKC) that resulted from a funding increase, in hopes that it may represent changes felt by homeless services as a broad sector since COVID19. The project will analyze homeless services through a comparative lens via a qualitative narrative, ultimately making broader inferences regarding changes in homeless services evolving “post” COVID19 in the United States and other nations with similar federal gov. structures and cultural views on homelessness (i.e. the global west). The paper will then conclude with broad policy suggestions related to the long-term success of King County homeless services post-COVID19. Due to its size and influence, CCSWW serves as an ideal candidate to provide a general understanding of how agencies of its kind have experienced differing changes in recent years (or since March 3rd when COVID19 was declared a U.S National Emergency). There has seemingly been a substantial lack of research on the effects of COVID19 on homeless services and studying a shift in funding and its effects on agencies (i.e. the success of homeless services) is critical in understanding what will make these agencies operate most effectively. I argue that COVID19 allotted more funding to be allocated towards homeless services during the pandemic, further claiming that the funding increase along with emergency policy orders will result in substantial long-term changes in how homeless services will serve clients at large.