WAY HOME

Can one city s solutions to homelessness help the United States face the issue nationally The United States grapples with a solution for the unhoused by employing a patchwork of uneven rhetoric and policy How can policymakers and public health professionals address this urgent problem in more innovative and sustainable ways In Way Home Josephine Ensign explores the contemporary landscape of homelessness by focusing on Seattle in King County to assess how their innovative local solutions can be scaled up nationally From consumer led shelter programs to the expansion of the Housing First model of care Seattle King County is a leader in this area Ensign assesses the effectiveness of policies such as child tax credits rental subsidies eviction moratoriums and programs for vehicle residents As an expert in the field who has also experienced homelessness Ensign draws from an extensive oral history project to share poignant firsthand accounts that inform and enrich her storytelling This narrative incorporates human rights support services public health issues and a path forward that acknowledges the true realities of people living unhoused Amid the rapidly evolving public health and political landscape accelerated by the COVID 19 pandemic Way Home deepens o