King County Buys Hotel In Effort To House More Homeless People
KING COUNTY, WA — Forgoing a traditional State of the County address Tuesday, King County Executive Dow Constantine released a pre-produced, 27-minute video highlighting new investments to reduce economic inequalities, provide more shelter for people experiencing homelessness, increase rental assistance and offer COVID-19 vaccines to every middle and high school student before classes resume in the fall.
Among the key announcements in Constantine's address was the county's plan to purchase a small Seattle hotel as the first to provide permanent housing to chronically homeless people under the new "Health Through Housing" program. In the next year, the county's goal is to add housing for another 1,600 unhoused people. According to the Seattle Times, the Inn at Queen Anne is the first of four or five hotels in the region that King County intends to purchase over the next few weeks.
"COVID 19 exacerbated the crisis of homelessness," Constantine said. "While the privileged among us can reasonably look forward to a quick and robust recovery, those of us who’ve been pushed further back in line during this time look warily to a future of widening pay gaps, housing gaps, health gaps, and disparities of all types. We are determined in our COVID response not to accept those disparities, but to bring that same urgency and humanity to helping our unsheltered neighbors in off the streets. Out of crisis comes opportunity – the opportunity to advance our shared vision for King County."
Using funds from the legislature and the American Rescue Plan, Constantine announced another $150 million will be available for rental assistance grants, which could help up to 27,000 families that are behind on their rent. Tenant applications are scheduled to begin next week.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/king-county-buys-hotel-in-effort-to-house-more-homeless-people/ar-BB1gCKdM
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