Culture
Running Water Can Ease the Effects of Homelessness
Tacoma, Washington, found that giving homeless people access to running water improves their comfort, dignity, and health, while reducing local pollution.
Last spring, as the homeless population swelled in the port city of Tacoma, Washington, it faced a problem: water everywhere, but almost none to drink.
Of the city’s more than 210,000 people, 1,231 were living unsheltered in January 2017, up from fewer than 500 in 2015. By this spring, many residents—both housed and unhoused—were voicing concerns about living conditions and safety in the city’s encampments.