“Washington fights for what has arguably been the worst-performing statewide homelessness response in modern times,” Zimmerman wrote. According to his analysis:The plaintiff states had an average per-capita homelessness rate 82 percent higher than other states in 2024. Between 2014 and 2024, homelessness grew an average of 43 percent in the plaintiff states, compared to just 3 percent elsewhere. Zimmerman argues Washington’s own data undermines one of the central justifications frequently offered for the state’s homelessness policies—that rising housing costs are the primary driver of homelessness. The Washington Policy Center has long advocated shifting homelessness policy toward treatment, recovery, and accountability rather than emphasizing housing without behavioral health requirements.