King County, Salvation Army report phased progress at Haven Heights emergency housing site in Redmond

King County and Salvation Army officials told the Redmond Public Safety and Human Services Committee on Jan. 21 that Haven Heights, a Redmond site opened in June under the Health Through Housing initiative, is operating as emergency housing with onsite supports and will be converted to permanent supportive housing through phased construction this year.

The update was provided during a required six‑month operational agreement briefing to the committee. Shanna Clinton, Health Through Housing initiative staff with King County, said the site opened in June and is intentionally operating first as emergency housing because the units have not yet been fitted with kitchenettes and residents do not have individual leases during the conversion period.

Clinton said the site’s current capacity is 15 residents; staff records show 17 people have been served since opening and two move‑ins occurred after that data was pulled. She said the program expects to expand capacity through phased construction, moving to about 42 apartments within months and ultimately converting the building to about 100 total units by the end of the year.

Matt Garrett, division homeless services specialist with the Salvation Army Northwest Division, described service delivery and some early operational challenges. He said staff and local referral agencies arranged warm handoffs at move‑in, the site has been largely fully staffed, and the program has launched case management, employment support, a computer lab and community‑building events. Garrett also said some gates and access control systems required technical work while the site converts from a hotel model to a residential model.

Transportation and clinical supports were emphasized. Garrett and county staff said Metro provided a wheelchair‑accessible van under contract for medical and behavioral‑health transportation; the program also budgets for ride‑hail (Uber/Lyft) to transport residents to appointments. The Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) mobile response team has begun on‑demand crisis response at the east‑side site, and staff reported the team responded within an hour to an initial incident. King County said 15 emergency medical service calls originated at the site; 11 resulted in transport.

Food service is provided under a contract with FareStart, which delivers one daily meal drop‑off of three meals a day. Garrett said FareStart and other partners supplement meal offerings on occasion to meet resident preferences. Community partners on site include Women Whole Link (wellness sessions) and Refuel Renewal (supplemental food); staff also credited the employment services team when a resident secured work at Goodwill.

Councilmembers asked about resident demographics and health care access. Garrett and Clinton said most residents are older adults: the average age is about 62, with most residents in their 50s and 60s and some into their 70s; one resident was under 40. Staff said many residents have chronic medical conditions such as diabetes and heart disease and that case managers prioritize connecting residents to primary care and specialists, often at Overlake Medical Center. Staff said case managers also work to enroll residents in Medicaid or other coverage when needed.

Officials reported four exits from the site in early operation (data reconciliation was underway; staff said one resident was reunified with family and the others were deaths). Salvation Army staff and county partners described grief supports already provided: memorial services in the building’s lobby led by Salvation Army chaplains, lists of resources from the case management supervisor, and plans to use DESC’s outreach team to offer grief groups. Staff additionally said the budget includes funds to bring a part‑time behavioral health therapist onsite by 2025.

Clinton noted referral rules: initially all referrals come through a local east‑side referral network; the plan is that about 65 percent of the building will continue to be filled through local pathways while the remaining 35 percent will open to regional referrals as capacity grows.

Councilmembers and staff described neighbor engagement as largely positive. Staff said immediate‑area and business neighbors were invited to monthly meetings that will move to quarterly; they recounted one instance in which a nearby ballroom dance studio collected and wrapped personalized holiday gifts for residents. Staff also said EMS calls were medical in nature and did not involve police responses.

The committee was given the update for information only; staff said they will continue reporting as the site moves through construction phases and as additional services are placed onsite.