New data released by UIHI in partnership with Chief Seattle Club, shows that there are nearly three times as many unsheltered Native Americans and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) in King County than previously stated earlier this year. Native peoples are 1-2% of the overall King County population, yet make up nearly 16% of the overall homeless population, not 4.2% as previously reported by King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) Point-in-Time count in June 2026.

“We unfortunately see this flaw in research all the time. We call this data genocide,” said UIHI Director Abigail Echo-Hawk (Pawnee). “People who identify as American Indian or Alaska Native in combination with another race are too often erased from data that is used to inform policy and funding. We know this is a problem, yet we see it over and over again.”

Learn more about how misrepresented data impacts Indigenous populations in King County in the report.