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Clallam County presents 2025–2030 Homeless Housing Plan, cites large shortfall in shelter and affordable units
Summary
County Health and Human Services briefed the Board on a draft five‑year homeless housing plan required by Washington state, which estimates a need for hundreds of shelter and affordable units and focuses on coordination, workforce supports and prevention.
Clallam County Health and Human Services on Monday presented a draft 2025–2030 Homeless Housing Plan that lays out goals, strategies and performance measures the county says will be used to seek funding and guide local partners.
The plan, developed with consultant Paul Knox of Knox Works LLC and a dedicated work group, was funded by a Washington State Department of Commerce grant and reflects input from people with lived experience, behavioral health providers and local tribal partners. Christine (Health and Human Services staff) told the commissioners that technical assistance from Homebase suggested edits that "do not affect the substance of the plan, just add more detail and clarification." The department expects a final draft for the board’s May 27 public hearing.
Why it matters: the plan quantifies the county’s needs over the five‑year period and ties strategies to objectives that drive funding priorities. Paul Knox told the board the Commerce guidance produced county‑level estimates the consultant used as the plan’s basis: the plan identifies an estimated need for about 110 shelter or alternatives beds, 188 units of permanent supportive housing, and roughly 470 additional affordable units for households under 30 percent of area median income over the next five years. Knox told the board those housing types generally require substantial public subsidy and development capacity.
The plan groups its work around objectives that include preserving and strengthening the crisis response system, preventing homelessness, supporting workforce capacity for homeless services, improving partnerships with health care providers such as Olympic Medical Center, and building a capital pipeline for housing solutions. Commissioners and task force members repeatedly raised funding and implementation questions: several asked which parts of the plan the county realistically could accomplish without new state or federal money and how priorities would be sequenced if full funding is not available.
Commissioners and task force members also emphasized improving the coordinated entry system and scrutinizing existing shelter operations. Knox said vacancy rates at some shelters warrant deeper assessment to determine whether operating policies, management or other factors limit use.
The board was urged to use the plan both as an aspirational roadmap and a practical set of prioritized actions tied to expected funding opportunities. County staff said the plan will be used by the homelessness task force as a living document to guide spending requests and grant applications.
Next steps: Health and Human Services will post a final draft and return to the commissioners for a public hearing on May 27. The department plans continued outreach to the Legislature and other funders to align the county’s priorities with available capital and operating dollars.
