Reporting on Homelessness in Seattle and King County

Tent City 3 in Shoreline 2009
Photo copyright Marc Weinberg

Reporting on Homelessness in Seattle and King County with KUOW’s Kate Walters
September 28, 2019 from 2 - 3pm at the Shoreline Library large meeting room, 345 NE 175th St, Shoreline 98155.

Homelessness is one of the biggest issues faced in Seattle and King County. On any given night there are roughly 11,200 people experiencing homelessness county-wide.

This is a complicated issue that evokes strong emotions from people across the region. There are a wide range of opinions on how to best tackle the issue, how much money should be spent, whether public dollars are being spent wisely, what works and what doesn’t.
    
KUOW’s Kate Walters has been in public radio for the better part of a decade. She came to KUOW in 2015 and has been reporting on homelessness in Seattle and King County in some capacity since 2016. Before coming to KUOW, Kate studied journalism in Melbourne, Australia and worked as a reporter with WXXI public radio in Rochester, NY.  
  
Kate has spent time in shelters and unauthorized camps speaking with people who are experiencing homelessness. She’s spent time with neighbors, policy makers, and service providers and has delved into the many ways the region is trying to address this crisis.

In her talk, Kate speaks about the challenges that come with reporting on this topic, what we know and what we don’t, and how she personally approaches the process of reporting on this beat.