Homeless Crisis Demands Unified, Accountable, Dynamic Regional Response

May 1, 2018

Diffuse authority and loose coordination among local funders make it difficult for the regional homeless response system to adjust and respond to the needs of the growing number of people experiencing homelessness in King County. The main local funders of homeless interventions are the City of Seattle, King County, the King County and Seattle Housing Authorities,

and private foundations. The City and County separately manage their funding and contracting processes, presenting administrative and operational burdens for homeless housing providers. Having many large organizations working independently also reduces the ability of the region to respond collectively to community needs, and creates roadblocks to change. All Home is a coordinating body meant to pull together local funders into a homeless response system, but it lacks the authority to do it.