Sakara Remmu, Outreach and Mobilization Manager

There is a strong Pacific Northwest drizzle in the air, and Kent is quiet. It’s one o’clock in the morning on what would otherwise be a typical Friday. Except, this is anything but typical. Tonight was the One Night Count.

Coordinated by the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness (SKCCH), the King County One Night Count is a street count of people who are homeless within the county. SKCCH has expanded the count from its downtown Seattle origins to include parts of 11 suburban cities, unincorporated King County, and Metro Night Owl buses. As a South King County resident, I was staying close to my home, which was why I was at the Catholic Community Services (CCS) offices in Kent.

Volunteers stream into the CCS building, layered in sweaters and coats, scarves and ponchos, hiking boots, and knee-high rain boots. Thick gloves, mugs of hot coffee and flashlights are aplenty.

Over the next 45 minutes, volunteers check-in, divide into groups, and prepare for the task ahead: finding people experiencing homelessness with nowhere to go. They’ll look in bushes, under overpasses and bridges, behind buildings, and in parks.

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All of the One Night Count volunteers in Kent and those scattered across King County know the importance of this work. Everyone deserves to live in a safe, affordable home. But for those Washingtonians who are struggling and in need of support, there are not enough resources, support services, or shelters to meet the need. Without that, people are left with nowhere to go. Without that, people die.

This was heavy on my mind, walking into CCS with my co-worker Alouise Urness. I was thinking about the face and smile of Byron Barnes, who just days earlier was found dead in Ballard likely due to hypothermia. I was thinking of my own experiences with homelessness as a teenager, remembering the first time I slept on a park bench, having nowhere else to go.

Before each group heads out to start the count, they talk about the importance of treating anyone they come across with dignity and respect, and to treat the tents or makeshift structures as they would someone’s home.

As the building empties, I have a chance to talk with Dwight Jackson, a One Night Count volunteer and program manager for Catholic Community Services’ South King County Program Shelter, seven shelters in Renton, Kent, Auburn and Federal Way in all. Dwight has worked in South King County for over 4 years, and sees the need rising. “We don’t have housing for people…we don’t have a place for people to rest.” Dwight points out the things we all take for granted, like a place to take a shower and wash clothes, aren’t available in this part of the county, and what services are available are spread out and not necessarily easy to access.

Image Dwight Jackson (left) talks with a One Night Count volunteer.

We talk about what happens to a family in Kent, who might find themselves experiencing homelessness. What happens to them?

“They may have to split up, to get a place to stay. [Homelessness] breaks families apart. You’re forced apart to make a way to survive. It’s hard on people. And it takes a while to get out of that,” Dwight says.

And in the meantime, homelessness has an extremely negative domino effect.

“It causes a lot of issues, physically and mentally, people break down,” he points out. “The One Night Count helps educate people. It educates the people [who go out to count]. I’ve been out there. It’s cold out there. It’s an education for the community, once the numbers come out. It can help to drive policy. It’s a good thing. There are a lot of vulnerable people out there.”

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Over the next few hours, volunteers trickle back in from the night of searching. Back inside, they share their experiences. Some found no one to count, others found evidence of makeshift sleeping areas recently abandoned, likely due to the rain. Others found a handful to a dozen. They turn in their count sheets, refresh their coffee, and then sit to fill out advocacy cards that the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness will deliver to lawmakers at Housing and Homelessness Advocacy Day.

Here’s where counters and volunteers impacted by their experiences can continue to make a difference. Estimating the size of homelessness is the first step. Taking proactive measures to fight homelessness and build affordable housing is the next. There is no shortage of ways to be involved.

First, an easy way to get active is to get educated. Check out our State Legislative Advocacy Agenda on legislation and policies we support that forward our mission of ending homelessness by making sure all our residents have the opportunity to live in safe, healthy, affordable homes in thriving communities. Sign up here to get regular alerts from us on the status of our legislative priorities.

But having the knowledge is never enough. SKCCH is holding two homelessness advocacy workshops on Saturday, February 9. Facilitators will provide you with tools for engaging your classmates, fellow congregants, neighbors and others to speak up and make a difference in issues around affordable housing and homelessness. You can register for one of the two upcoming workshops here. Register right away!

Lastly, we are organizing Housing and Homelessness Advocacy Day, a day for you to collectively educate and move your elected representatives to pass bills, make budgetary decisions, and enact policy that helps increase affordable homes and fight homelessness. It is a fun day in Olympia that gets residents involved in the legislative decisions that can really make an impact. The day is fast approaching, so register now at our website.

If you volunteered this year for the One Night Count, don't stop there. I hope it motivates you to continue the necessary work to ensure everyone in Washington has the opportunity to live in a safe, healthy, affordable home.