SEATTLE — King County will spend $17 million for initiatives aimed at curbing homelessness with special attention to South and East King County where the number of unsheltered people has been on the rise.
The Seattle Times reports that King County Executive Dow Constantine and other regional leaders and homeless advocates on Monday announced the funding, which will go toward affordable housing units and emergency shelter.
The January One Night Count of the Homeless found that the number of unsheltered people had doubled in Renton, increased 150 percent in Federal Way and rose 83 percent on the Eastside, compared to 2015.
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and Constantine declared a state of emergency in homelessness in the county in November and called for state and federal funding.
