Outsiders

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Homelessness on the West Coast is rising to crisis levels at a time of historic economic growth and prosperity. Why? KNKX Public Radio and The Seattle Times' Project Homeless spent one year in a city that’s grappling with homelessness. What’s it like to live outside for months on end? What’s it like when tents come to your neighborhood? What new solutions can city leaders find? This is Outsiders.

01/07/2020

Introducing: Outsiders, a story about homelessness

Homelessness on the West Coast is rising to crisis levels at a time of historic economic growth and prosperity. Why? KNKX Public Radio and The Seattle Times' Project Homeless spent one year in a city that’s grappling with homelessness. What’s it like to live outside for months on end? What’s it like when tents come to your neighborhood? What new solutions can city leaders find?

3 min
01/29/2020

Episode 1: The Rain

The West Coast's homelessness crisis arrives in Olympia, Washington. City leaders scramble to respond, and wonder if they can succeed where larger cities have failed. People trying to survive outside face a choice: whether to set aside years of distrust and go along with the city’s plans.

37 min
02/05/2020

Episode 2: What Happened Here

The rise of homelessness in Olympia looked different depending on where you were standing. To many people, it swept over the city like a storm in a matter of weeks. But a few could see the pressure building for decades.

40 min
02/12/2020

Episode 3: All My Nightmares

How did people end up on the streets of Olympia? Some can point to a catastrophe that bent their lives toward homelessness. For others, it almost seemed like life was moving in that direction from the very beginning.

42 min
02/19/2020

Episode 4: Parallel Society

Despite Olympia’s efforts, hundreds of people remain in unsanctioned camps around the city. They invent ways to stay alive and help each other survive.

41 min
02/26/2020

Episode 5: Let's Dance

Sam Miller can help us understand how addiction and homelessness intersect because he’s lived them both. Plus he can make us laugh. He points to one reason he was able to overcome homelessness while many others get trapped.

41 min
03/04/2020

Episode 6: The Bridge

Homelessness divides Olympia and forces people to re-examine their politics. Emotions converge on an encampment under the Fourth Avenue Bridge.

44 min
03/11/2020

Inside Outsiders

The Outsiders team holds a live event to explain how we made the series and what we learned. We answer listeners’ questions: Are some people homeless by choice? After a year of reporting, do we feel society is any closer to solving homelessness?

57 min

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4.9

out of 5

1,129 Ratings

Outsiders

May 15

12aspire

The piece had many obstacles to overcome, and did so with grace and tenacity. Well done!
The very best treatment of homelessness in our region

07/11/2023

Kimberly MR

Phenomenal. Balanced, insightful, intelligent, compassionate, thought-provoking. Superb!
Great journalism on a very tough topic

03/29/2023

she know im da ba

This is such a hard conversation for us to have as a society because it deals with the traumas that bring people in our society to their lowest point. The team that made this podcast absolutely nail this topic and have changed my perspective on homelessness.
Highly Recommended

03/21/2023

Colindro "THE DAMAGER"

The team here nailed this, trying to understand how and why this is happening without promoting some sort of agenda.

Homelessness on the West Coast is rising to crisis levels at a time of historic economic growth and prosperity. Why? KNKX Public Radio and The Seattle Times' Project Homeless spent one year in a city that’s grappling with homelessness. What’s it like to live outside for months on end? What’s it like when tents come to your neighborhood? What new solutions can city leaders find? This is Outsiders.