As a reader of WPC's work, I know you want better solutions to the problems that beleaguer our communities and our state.
If you read the report on Washington’s homelessness by Eric Zimmerman we recently published, you know that his knowledge of this issue is both incredibly broad and has remarkable depth. Homelessness, addiction and the property crimes that come with
them, have all plagued communities big and small across the state. Billions have been spent but the problem seems to get bigger and more entrenched. People live in squalor on our streets, living degraded lives enabled by policy, scarred by danger and crime and abandoned to their own recklessness, while state and local officials fail to measure policies for success to better tackle the issue.
It’s a tough, multifaceted problem, but starting today, WPC will tackle it with the help of our new director for policies related to homelessness and law enforcement, Eric Zimmerman. Zimmerman brings more than two decades of expertise in public services design and evaluation, and pairs rigorous research methods with direct local governance experience.
He is a remarkable mind and an incredible resource for our state. His collaborative, data-centric approach to public policy intellectually frees him to pursue evidence wherever it leads for solutions and accountability, which is exactly what policymakers and the people of Washington need today.
As Washington state continues to grapple with intersecting crises in behavioral health, housing and public safety, Zimmerman will direct WPC’s efforts to provide lawmakers and the public with data-driven, evidence-based policy solutions.
“From the people living on the streets to the small business owners losing their inventory to crime, it is objectively clear that Washington needs better solutions, and I’m passionate about assembling and applying the data to find them and advocate for them,” explained Zimmerman. “Good policy relies on measurable data. We need to be able to objectively measure whether policies are working so we can adopt the solutions that make our state a better, more compassionate place to live.”
Earlier this year Zimmerman served as the project director and principal investigator for a groundbreaking 2024-2026 study, Homelessness in Washington State, producing the state’s first interdisciplinary, longitudinal study of the crisis. His research identified patterns within Washington’s homelessness crisis directly associated with state policy choices.
“Eric’s work is exemplary, robust, and nonpartisan.” remarked WPC Vice President for Research Todd Myers. “His study on Washington’s homeless crisis addressed questions most people didn’t even realize they needed answered. I am thrilled to have him on our team.”
In addition to his research background, Zimmerman serves as the Mayor and a Council Member for the City of Normandy Park. He also holds prominent regional leadership positions, including serving on the King County Law, Safety, and Justice Committee and the Executive Board of South King Homelessness and Housing Partners.
Zimmerman spent more than a decade in senior leadership and technical roles at World Vision, overseeing a multi-million-dollar global portfolio of public services programs. His extensive background in complex crisis management includes deploying to Sierra Leone to lead services design for its government during the 2014-2015 Ebola epidemic.
Zimmerman holds a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University’s School of Leadership Studies. He begins his new leadership role at WPC today, Monday, July 13.
