FLAGSHIP RESEARCH PROJECT:
Living Without Shelter
A Statistical Examination of Unsheltered Homelessness in the Seattle Metropolitan Area — Washington
PHASE I: FEDERAL WAY, WASHINGTON
PROJECT STATUS | RESEARCH PROTOCOL DEVELOPMENT
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Understanding Unsheltered Homelessness Through Evidence and Lived Experience
Unsheltered homelessness is more than the absence of housing. It is often shaped by interconnected economic, health, social, structural, and service-access challenges that can make the path back to stable housing increasingly difficult. RACED-RP-001 is designed to examine these factors among adults experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Federal Way, Washington, with particular attention to understanding which factors are most strongly associated with prolonged homelessness.
Rather than relying only on existing administrative data, the study is designed to bring the experiences and perspectives of people directly affected by homelessness into the research process. Their responses will be analyzed alongside measurable social and economic factors to generate evidence that can help policymakers, service providers, nonprofit organizations, and community leaders better understand where barriers exist and where interventions may have the greatest potential impact.
CENTRAL RESEARCH QUESTION
Which demographic, economic, health, social, structural, and service-access factors are most strongly associated with prolonged unsheltered homelessness among adults participating in the Federal Way study?
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Objective 01
Understand the Population
Analyze the demographic, socioeconomic, health, housing, and service-access characteristics of the target population to better understand their circumstances and needs.
Objective 02
Identify Pathways Into Homelessness
Identify the events, circumstances, and contributing conditions reported by participants as influencing their entry into unsheltered homelessness.
Objective 03
Examine Barriers to Support and Housing
Examine barriers to accessing shelters, healthcare, employment assistance, identification documents, housing programs, public benefits, and other supportive services.
Objective 04
Measure Independent Associations
Examine how demographic, economic, health, social, structural, and service-access factors are associated with prolonged unsheltered homelessness after accounting for other relevant characteristics.
Objective 05
Identify the Most Important Factors
Develop a focused multivariable model to identify and compare the factors most strongly associated with prolonged unsheltered homelessness.
Objective 06
Translate Evidence Into Action
Translate research findings and participants’ perspectives into practical recommendations to support more informed decision-making by policymakers, service providers, nonprofit organizations, and community leaders.
RESEARCH FRAMEWORK
The study examines multiple, interconnected factors that may shape how individuals enter, experience, and remain in unsheltered homelessness. These domains provide the framework for data collection and statistical analysis.
Economic Conditions
Employment, income and income stability, public benefits, financial shocks, debt, savings, prior housing costs, and other economic conditions that may affect an individual’s ability to obtain or maintain stable housing.
Health & Disability
Physical health, disability, mental and behavioral health needs, healthcare access, medication continuity, and treatment needs that may influence housing vulnerability and stability.
Structural Barriers
Identification documents, transportation, digital access, criminal-justice-related barriers, housing eligibility requirements, application processes, and other administrative obstacles that may limit access to housing or services.
Service Access
Access to shelters, case management, housing navigation, healthcare, employment assistance, public benefits, and other supportive services, including unsuccessful service attempts, waiting periods, and barriers to receiving assistance.
Social Support
Family and friend support, trusted relationships, community connections, social isolation, discrimination experiences, and other forms of social support that may influence an individual’s ability to navigate homelessness and pursue stable housing.
Housing History
Current sleeping situation, duration of unsheltered homelessness, previous episodes of homelessness, last stable housing situation, housing instability, and circumstances surrounding the loss of stable housing.
THE RESEARCH APPROACH
From Lived Experience to Evidence and Action
RACED uses a structured research process that connects real-world problems with the experiences of affected communities, rigorous data collection, statistical analysis, and practical decision support. The goal is not only to understand what is happening, but to identify what matters most and translate credible evidence into actions that can advance equity and protect human dignity.
Research Problem
Begin with a clearly defined real-world problem and identify the decisions that better evidence could help inform.
Community Voice
Engage people directly affected by the issue so their experiences, priorities, and perspectives become part of the evidence
Data Collection
Collect structured, relevant, and ethically obtained data designed to answer the research questions.
Statistical Analysis
Analyze the data systematically to identify patterns, relationships, disparities, and factors associated with the outcome being studied.
Priority Identification
Compare statistical evidence with participant-identified priorities and the practical actionability of each factor to determine where attention may have the greatest value
Recommendations
Translate the findings into evidence-based and community-informed recommendations for programs, services, policies, and future research.
Decision Support
Present the evidence in clear and accessible forms that can help policymakers, service providers, nonprofit organizations, funders, and community leaders make more informed and equitable decisions.
PHASE I
Federal Way, Washington, will serve as the first implementation site for RACED-RP-001. This pilot phase is designed to test the feasibility of the research approach, refine the data-collection instrument and field procedures, and generate preliminary local evidence about the factors associated with prolonged unsheltered homelessness. The lessons from Phase I will help determine how the study can be strengthened and, subject to resources and partnerships, expanded to a larger population across the Seattle metropolitan area.
Pilot at a Glance
STUDY AREA
Federal Way, Washington
TARGET POPULATION
Adults Experiencing Unsheltered Homelessness
PLANNED SAMPLE
Up to 150 Participants
PLANNED METHOD
Structured Community-Based Survey
PRIMARY OUTCOME
Prolonged Unsheltered Homelessness
CURRENT STAGE
Research Protocol Development
EQUITY • DIGNITY • INCLUSION
People experiencing homelessness are often represented through counts, service records, and administrative statistics. These sources are valuable, but they may not fully explain the barriers, experiences, and priorities of the people living through homelessness
RACED is designed to complement existing evidence by listening directly to people affected by the issue. Their experiences are not treated simply as stories alongside the research; they become part of the evidence used to understand the problem, identify priorities, and inform decisions that affect their lives.
LISTEN
Engage directly with people affected by homelessness to understand their experiences, barriers, needs, and priorities in their own voices.
ANALYZE
Combine participant perspectives with structured data and rigorous statistical analysis to identify patterns, relationships, and factors that may require greater attention.
INFORM DECISIONS
Translate the evidence into clear insights that can help policymakers, service providers, nonprofit organizations, funders, and community leaders make more equitable and effective decisions.
FROM EVIDENCE TO PRIORITIES:
How We Determine What Matters Most
A factor can be statistically important without being the highest priority for people experiencing homelessness, and an important barrier may not always be immediately actionable for organizations or policymakers. RACED therefore examines the evidence from three complementary perspectives to develop a more complete understanding of where attention and resources may have the greatest value:
- Statistical Importance: Examines which factors show the strongest statistical relationships with prolonged unsheltered homelessness after accounting for other relevant characteristics.
- Participant Priority: Identifies the barriers, needs, and solutions that participants themselves consider most important based on their lived experiences.
- Actionability: Considers whether identified barriers can realistically be addressed through programs, services, policies, partnerships, or other interventions.
Together, these perspectives help identify priorities for evidence-informed and community-centered action.
RESEARCH ETHICS
Protecting Participants, Privacy, and Human Dignity
Research involving people experiencing unsheltered homelessness requires particular attention to autonomy, privacy, safety, and dignity. RACED is designing this study so that ethical safeguards are incorporated into the research process before participant recruitment or data collection begins.
Participation will be voluntary and based on informed consent. The study will seek to minimize unnecessary collection of personally identifiable information, protect the confidentiality of research data, reduce potential risks to participants, and ensure that individuals can decline to participate or stop participating without penalty.
RACED is designing this study…
Participation will be…
Voluntary Participation
Participation will be voluntary. Individuals may choose whether to participate and may decline or discontinue participation without penalty.
Informed Consent
Participants will receive clear information about the purpose of the study, what participation involves, potential risks and benefits, and their rights before providing consent.
Privacy and Confidentiality
Data-collection procedures will be designed to protect participant privacy and limit unnecessary collection or disclosure of personally identifiable information.
Data Protection
Research data will be stored and handled using appropriate safeguards designed to reduce unauthorized access, disclosure, loss, or misuse.
Respect & Dignity
Participants will be approached without judgment and treated with respect throughout recruitment, consent, data collection, and communication of research findings.
Ethical Review
Before the field implementation, RACED will determine and document the appropriate level of independent ethical review for the study and complete any required review before participant recruitment begins.
PROJECT ROADMAP:
From Research Design to Evidence and Action
This project is being developed through a structured sequence designed to protect research quality, participant welfare, and the credibility of the evidence produced. The roadmap below shows the major stages from research design through field implementation, analysis, publication, and translation of findings into decision support.
01 • CURRENT STAGE — Protocol Development
Develop and document the research questions, hypotheses, study variables, measurement framework, sampling strategy, questionnaire, analytical plan, field procedures, and participant protections.
Stage 02 — Ethical Review
Determine and complete the appropriate independent ethical review or oversight before participant recruitment and field data collection begin.
Stage 03 — Pilot Testing: Test the questionnaire and field procedures on a limited scale to evaluate clarity, feasibility, timing, participant experience, and data quality before full implementation.
Stage 04 — Fieldwork:
Recruit eligible participants and collect primary data using the finalized research protocol, consent procedures, and participant-protection safeguards.
Stage 05 — Data Analysis:
Clean, validate, and analyze the collected data using descriptive and inferential statistical methods to examine patterns, relationships, disparities, and factors associated with prolonged unsheltered homelessness.
Stage 06 — Community Interpretation:
Interpret the findings alongside participant perspectives to better understand what the statistical results mean in the context of lived experience and community priorities.
Stage 07 — Publication and Decision Support:
Translate the findings into accessible research reports, policy briefs, data visualizations, and evidence-based recommendations that can support more informed and equitable decisions.
Research Outputs and Publications
RACED-RP-001 is designed to produce research products for different audiences, from community members and service providers to policymakers, researchers, and funders. As the project progresses, reports, analytical products, and public-facing resources will be made available here and through RACED’s Publications and Analytics sections.
Full Research Report
A comprehensive presentation of the study background, methodology, statistical analysis, findings, interpretation, limitations, and evidence-based recommendations.
Executive Summary
A concise overview of the study’s major findings, conclusions, and recommendations for decision-makers and other stakeholders who need the essential evidence quickly.
Policy Brief
A focused translation of the research findings into practical policy considerations and recommendations for government agencies, service providers, nonprofit organizations, and community leaders.
Technical / Methodology Report
A detailed description of the research design, sampling approach, measurement framework, data-management procedures, statistical methods, and analytical decisions used in the study.
Data Visualizations
Interactive and static visualizations designed to communicate key patterns, comparisons, disparities, and priority findings in a clear and accessible format.
Community Findings Brief
A plain-language summary of the research findings and participant-identified priorities designed for community members, outreach organizations, service providers, and other nontechnical audiences.
LOOKING AHEAD
This project begins with a focused pilot in Federal Way, Washington. Starting locally allows RACED to develop and test the research framework, refine field procedures, strengthen participant protections, evaluate the measurement approach, and demonstrate how community-informed evidence can be generated with limited initial resources.
Subject to funding, partnerships, ethical requirements, and lessons learned from the pilot, RACED intends to explore expanding the study to additional communities across the Seattle metropolitan area. A larger study could provide a broader evidence base for examining how the drivers and experiences of unsheltered homelessness vary across communities and which interventions may warrant greater attention.
PARTNERSHIP AND SUPPORT
RACED-RP-001 has been designed to generate rigorous, community-informed evidence about the factors associated with prolonged unsheltered homelessness. Moving from research design to responsible field implementation will require collaboration, community relationships, technical support, and financial resources.
RACED welcomes conversations with community organizations, service providers, researchers, government agencies, foundations, philanthropic partners, and others interested in strengthening evidence about unsheltered homelessness while advancing equity and human dignity.