KCRHA is a “Continuum of Care” agency (CoC), which means that we administer homelessness response services across King County using funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Before KCRHA was formed, this function was held by an agency called “All Home.”
Funding from HUD is very competitive, and KCRHA must submit an annual application, and additional applications for any new funding opportunities that are announced. In reviewing applications, HUD emphasizes a Housing First approach (housing + services), low-barrier housing, and rapid movement to permanent housing, with a focus on performance outcomes and strategic use of resources.
KCRHA, also known to HUD as the Seattle-King County Continuum of Care, is held accountable to HUD’s HEARTH Performance measures and targets, which followed the passage of the Congressional HEARTH Act. The HEARTH measures look at the performance and outcomes of individual projects as well as the performance of the CoC as a whole.
Because of how the federal government administers funds, there is a delay, and funds are disbursed after the end of the Fiscal Year. For Fiscal Year 2022, KCRHA is excited to announce that HUD has awarded the Seattle/King County CoC with all of the bonus grants that the CoC applied for, totalling $4.1 million in new ongoing federal funding for the region, and maxing out the possible awards available.
With new and ongoing grant renewals, the Seattle-King County CoC will have an inflation-adjusted base of $57.9 million in federal funds.
Service provider awardees for these bonus funds are the Downtown Emergency Services Center (PSH), YWCA & API Chaya (DV RRH), Friends of Youth (PSH), Opening Doors for Multicultural Families (PSH), and the Coalition Ending Gender-Based Violence (through the DV Coordinated Entry expansion grant).
| DESC Greenlake – Permanent Supportive Housing | $1,807,128 |
| YWCA and API Chaya – Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Rapid Rehousing Program | $1,366,918 |
| Friends of Youth – Francis Village Permanent Supportive Housing | $125,000 |
| Opening Doors for Multicultural Families – Permanent Supportive Housing | $709,392 |
| Coalition for Ending Gender-Based Violence – WA-500 Coordinated Entry – Domestic Violence Expansion | $91,498 |
We expect our next application to HUD for FY 2023 funding to take place in the Summer of 2023, and we will again be required to evaluate how well the projects that receive federal CoC funds are performing and how they align with the Seattle/King County local CoC values and priorities.
If you are a service provider interested in joining the Seattle-King County CoC, please sign-up to attend this year’s first annual convening on May 5, 2023. More information is on our CoC page here.
