Summary

As the number of homeless residents in King County increases, Executive Constantine applauds action by the County Council and City of Seattle to expand the hours and capacity of the emergency shelter located at the King County Administration Building.

Story

King County Executive Dow Constantine thanked the Metropolitan King County Council for approving the funds needed to extend emergency shelter hours this winter at the King County Administration Building.

The funds will allow the shelter to open at 7 p.m. instead of 8:30 while still closing at 6 a.m. the following morning. The bill—sponsored by County Councilmember Joe McDermott—also formalizes the agreement with the City of Seattle to double the capacity of the overnight shelter.

"The winter months can be potentially life-threatening for the increasing number of homeless residents in our region," said Executive Constantine. "Thanks to support from Councilmember McDermott and the City of Seattle, more people in our community will have shelter during the coldest months of the year. We will also continue to work with our community partners to help men, women, and children transition to safe, affordable housing."

The expansion comes days after the annual One Night Count found that the number of homeless residents in King County had increased by 21 percent from the previous year.

“As demonstrated by last week’s One Night Count, homelessness continues to be a significant problem here in King County,” said Councilmember McDermott. “I am pleased that today the Council unanimously adopted my emergency ordinance to extend the hours of the King County Men's Homeless Winter Shelter—allowing it to open an hour and a half earlier. I look forward to continuing to work with our regional partners, service providers, and homelessness advocates to address the underlying issues of homelessness and to keep homelessness rare, brief and one time.”

Mayor Ed Murray and the City of Seattle earlier this month announced they would provide $117,000 to double the capacity at the King County Administration Building—from 50 to 100—for the remainder of the winter. The legislation, approved by the County Council, allocates additional County funds of $53,000 to support the increased hours of operation through April 15.The shelters at King County Administration Building and Seattle City Hall will now open and close at the same time.

In December, Executive Constantine announced $6.4 million in grants that will help local seniors, veterans, young adults, and working families transition from homelessness to affordable housing.