Gregg Colburn, assistant professor of real estate at the University of Washington, researches homelessness, and the role of the housing market in driving the problem in some major cities. He co-led a study with King County on the use of hotels as shelter for people experiencing homelessness during the pandemic, and he has a new book, Homelessness is a Housing Problem, which explores why some cities struggle more than others to address homelessness. Among the issues he can speak to:
- the role of vacancy rates and housing prices in limiting affordable housing
- differences among nearly 30 major cities nationwide
- the need for housing, not just shelters, in transitioning people out of homelessness
- how the public and private sector can facilitate the creation of housing options
- how old hotels can be refurbished and turned into permanent supportive housing faster than it takes to build a new complex
- that homelessness is a systemic problem, not just an individual one
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