- In 2007, 58 students in the Bellevue School District qualified to receive homeless services. This number of kids rose to 228 by 2014. Today, 300 students are experiencing homelessness in our Bellevue community.
- Bellevue children experience many forms of homelessness – living in a hotel or motel, staying in a shelter, doubled-up with another family or living outside in cars or tents.
- In 2018, 60% of families that received emergency rent assistance had income from employment. The cost of living for a family of four living in Seattle has risen by 86% since 2001 – and it’s even more expensive on the Eastside. Just to pay for basic needs, a family of four living in Bellevue needs to earn over $80,000.
- Since 2014, the number of children in doubled-up housing has risen from 104 to 175. These are the reported numbers. We know there are more. Families are sharing apartments, sometimes even cramming into single rooms, to afford staying in the communities and schools their children grew up in.
- As of December 2018, 26 out of 28 Bellevue schools have students experiencing homelessness.
The Good News
Despite these challenges, community members and organizations in Bellevue have responded by providing supportive services to more adequately address the stability of our community. Your support has already prevented homelessness for 61 families during fiscal year 2018-2019. Your support is helping us match the speed and intensity of the challenges, and we’re not giving up until every child in Bellevue has adequate housing.
