King County wants to foot the bill to add more homeless shelters in South King County. Five million dollars in one-time funding from the federal American Rescue Plan will be made available to cities to operate, build or acquire land for new shelters in this sometimes reluctant part of the region.
South King County has a severe shortage of shelter beds compared with the number of people who need them, coupled with stringent restrictions on who can use the ones that do exist. At the same time, cities in this area have increasingly adopted policies that are hostile to living outdoors and in public view.
In a way it hasn’t until this year, King County is stepping in and trying to nudge those cities toward actions that support homeless people.
The county had difficulty earlier this year getting Burien to accept a similar offer of $1 million in one-time funding and 35 shed-like shelters, similar to tiny homes.
Burien’s City Council let the offer stand for almost six months as council members shot down proposed locations and debated whether they wanted to be on the hook for the shelter in the future. The city finally accepted under duress of a county deadline and intense public scrutiny.
Now, the offer is expanding to Burien’s neighbors. County officials said the two offers were unrelated.
“King County is helping provide resources to the significant scale of unsheltered homelessness in South King County, as well as the recent closures of shelters in this part of the county,” wrote county spokesperson Kristin Elia in an email.
Elia added that services in the subregion “demonstrate a limited ability to serve a population with diverse needs.”
South King County provides 529 beds, 12% of the shelter capacity in the county.
Of the beds that exist in South King County, 74% are reserved for families or women with children, whereas the majority of people living on the street are single men.
King County also noted that there are no programs that serve people with severe medical needs or allow people to stay with their partners or pets. Many shelters in the area also prohibit the use of alcohol or drugs, which can further limit who is able to come inside.
Another goal of this funding is to “de-intensify existing shelters,” which are concentrated in Seattle. The county said having fewer people in the same space makes them safer and healthier.
South King County’s response to homelessness has often been typified by an attempt to keep shelters and homeless people out. Some officials there believe that homelessness is Seattle’s problem that is spilling into their cities. A Seattle Times analysis earlier this year showed almost a quarter of homeless people in the county were last housed there.
The last annual Point-In-Time count estimated more than 7,600 people sleep outside in King County on a given day.
In the last year, Federal Way and Des Moines passed laws restricting where homeless shelters can be located, with one service provider saying they are “de facto regulating shelter out of South King County.” The regulations blocked at least one shelter, with others at risk of closing.
At the same time, cities in the area have passed bans on camping in tents on sidewalks. Burien most recently passed one in September. Auburn, Federal Way and Kent also have similar laws on their books.
Federal courts have ruled these bans unconstitutional for cities to enforce without offering another place for people to go.
King County officials said they have spoken with several cities that have expressed interest in the funding. Federal Way said it would apply.
“We need to do everything possible to ensure we have resources for the unhoused community in Federal Way,” Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell wrote in a statement.
But other cities like Auburn are less certain.
“I feel like Auburn is taking on a lot and I’m not sure capacity, how much more we can take,” said Auburn Director of Anti-Homelessness Kent Hay.
Auburn has a shelter that accepts single men and couples, and Hay said other cities in South King County should apply for the funding. He added that he’s concerned about what would happen after the county’s one-time funding runs out.
Applications for the $5 million are open now. The county will begin reviewing them Jan. 8 on a rolling basis until the money is gone. King County said there are no current plans to provide new funding to add shelter in other parts of the county.
