Regional Homelessness Authority: unsheltered count up 26% and HUD contract renewals pose funding risk

Kelly Kinison, chief executive officer of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, presented the agency’s 2025 priorities and system data to the Council on April 22 and said the PIT (point‑in‑time) report would be posted imminently.

"We need all the tools in our toolbox to address this problem," Kinison said, adding that KCRHA supports a range of shelter models from tiny‑house villages to low‑barrier congregate shelter to meet diverse needs.

Tim Thomas, KCRHA’s chief of research and data, previewed the PIT findings: a 26% increase in unsheltered homelessness from 2022 to 2024; roughly 9,692 people counted unsheltered and 7,058 sheltered, for more than 16,000 individuals experiencing homelessness countywide. Thomas highlighted stark racial disparities: Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, Black and multiracial people were substantially overrepresented in the unhoused population compared with their shares of the county population.

KCRHA’s 2025 budget was presented at about $206 million, with funding partners split roughly 53% City of Seattle, 26% King County and 11% federal sources, Kinison said. Simon Foster, deputy CEO, said HUD Continuum of Care (CoC) and other HUD awards represented the third‑largest funding source for KCRHA and that FY24 CoC funding totaled about $66 million regionally; approximately $23 million funds KCRHA operations, about $36 million flows to King County, and the remainder to contractors.

Foster warned that new HUD grant language requiring or suggesting verification of citizenship status could have a chilling effect on service access and that KCRHA is coordinating with King County on an appropriate response. He also said KCRHA’s administrative budget includes roughly $5 million of HUD admin funding; a loss of that funding would significantly affect KCRHA’s capacity to manage contracts and data.

KCRHA reported system performance improvements in some program types (rapid rehousing successful exits rose and returns to homelessness remained low) while noting that bed‑to‑person ratios show strain: an average of about two people per available bed across the county and much higher pressure in North King County.

Councilmembers asked about regional funding tools, the role of cities, and options to protect existing beds. Kinison said KCRHA is pursuing stronger partnerships with cities and philanthropic partners, improving grants management and data systems, and seeking to stabilize resources so existing beds are not lost.

Ending: KCRHA leaders asked for continued coordination with the Council and local governments to shore up resources and avoid losing shelter and housing capacity; the Council took no formal action during the briefing.