Will James
Reporter
Reporter
Will James is a freelance journalist who formerly reported and produced podcasts and other special projects for KNKX, an NPR station based in Seattle and Tacoma, Washington. He created and hosted the podcast "Outsiders," chronicling homelessness for more than a year, which TIME named one of the best podcasts of 2020. He co-hosted and produced the "Transmission" podcast, telling stories about COVID-19 in the Pacific Northwest. Most recently, he served as senior producer on "The Walk Home," a podcast investigating a killing by police in Tacoma. He came to audio journalism after reporting for newspapers in his home state of New York. He was a Center for Health Journalism 2019 National Fellow and will serve as a 2024 California Health Equity Fellowship Senior Fellow.
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.
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.
This story was produced as part of a larger project led by Will James, a participant in the 2019 National Fellowship.
Other stories in this series include:
Episode 1: The Rain
Introducing: Outsiders, a story about homelessness
This story was produced as part of a larger project led by Will James, a participant in the 2019 National Fellowship.
Other stories in this series include:
Introducing: Outsiders, a story about homelessness
Episode 2: What Happened Here
This story was produced as part of a larger project led by Will James, a participant in the 2019 National Fellowship.
Other stories in this series include:
Episode 1: The Rain
Episode 2: What Happened Here
Olympia’s leaders made a bet that they could manage the crisis successfully enough that the city could serve as a model for other communities grappling with homelessness.