King County and Urban League give Federal Way timeline for two shelter projects; council presses for local control and details

King County and the Urban League told the Federal Way City Council on March 18 that a Health Through Housing site in Federal Way could open an initial set of rooms this summer and that the county’s Red Lion shelter is on track to bring 56 rooms online by fall.

The update, presented by Kelly Reiter, director of King County Department of Community and Human Services, Francis Nelson of King County facilities management, Jelani Jackson (Health Through Housing initiative manager) and Urban League staff, laid out construction timelines, selection priorities and operational staffing while several council members pressed the county and operator for more local control, costs and neighborhood protections.

“The Crip Note version is that we are looking to open our health through housing building, with rooms opening as early as this summer, as well as our shelter building with rooms opening, as early as this winter,” Reiter told the council. She said the county has been working with Federal Way since 2021 on licensure and permitting and now expects phased openings in 2025.

King County’s facility manager Francis Nelson said the Health Through Housing site is a former extended‑stay hotel undergoing tenant improvements. Nelson said contractors began on‑site work in February after two rounds of procurement; the selected general contractor is Western Ventures. “That contractor is Western Ventures and they've been working on doing the TI ever since,” Nelson said. Nelson and Reiter described the first phase as 16 rooms expected to be available in early summer (likely July–August) and a full‑building occupancy target in the fall for roughly 76–87 units, depending on final interior plans and required community spaces.

Nelson described typical hardening work for Health…