Seattle mayor calls for other cities to contribute to homelessness response

SEATTLE — Mayor Bruce Harrell stepped up his criticism of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority earlier this month, calling on its CEO to find a way to fund the agency that coordinates homelessness services for 39 cities and King County that is not so reliant on dollars and services from Seattle.

Harrell has said that if other cities don't contribute more to the homelessness response, he would have to consider whether the regional model is working and whether Seattle should continue supporting the authority.

I believe it is appropriate to re-evaluate the model to ensure that Seattle’s investments are aligned with Seattle’s needs," he said in a Sept. 5 letter sent to authority CEO Kelly Kinnison, Seattle City Council and other regional officials.

The homelessness authority will, in turn, consider a resolution sponsored by Harrell at its next board meeting calling for an accounting of possible properties across King County that could host temporary shelter and offering support to local jurisdictions to set up new shelter.

Harrell's letter and proposal come on the heels of a poor showing in the August primary, due in part to his opponent Katie Wilson’s criticisms about lack of progress on homelessness. Harrell has gradually exerted more control over the agency's strategy since taking office and helped put in place leaders who would be friendly to his influence.

Harrell's current complaint is Seattle’s annual contributions of more than $100 million, or about 53% of the authority’s budget.

Seattle also provides more than 60% of the region’s shelter capacity despite more than 70% of people becoming homeless outside of Seattle, mostly in other parts of King County or Washington, according to recent surveys.

Harrell is the latest in a long line of Seattle officials to call the arrangement unfair — something the authority was intended to balance.

The King County government is the second-largest funder, at $53 million this year, with additional funding coming from the state and federal governments.

Harrell would like to see “a broader distribution of services across the county, leading to better outcomes for people experiencing homelessness.” If someone becomes homeless in a city outside of Seattle, Harrell would like to see that person receive services there.

A spokesperson for Kinnison said that she expressed general support for Harrell's proposed analysis.

Harrell’s criticisms get to the heart of what has made it so difficult for the homelessness body to find a rhythm.

Although its goal is for all 39 cities and townships in King County to address the homelessness crisis together, the reality is that each city has divergent views on best practices and who bears the most responsibility. And it is inherently challenging to get elected officials to give up control of money they’re responsible for overseeing.

So far, only seven cities in King County other than Seattle send funding to the Regional Homelessness Authority, or plan to — Bellevue, Bothell, Kenmore, Lake Forest Park, Redmond, Shoreline and Woodinville — and the $400,000 they collectively provide is a tiny fraction of the agency's budget.

Some cities have also become hostile to the idea of new shelter, low-income housing or data-backed "best practices."

Still, many city leaders in King County have said they would be willing to share more resources with the Regional Homelessness Authority when they see the agency's dysfunction stabilize and when it appears that they would get back at least as much as they put in.

Harrell inherited the Regional Homelessness Authority from his predecessor, former Mayor Jenny Durkan, who signed an agreement in 2019 with then-King County Executive Dow Constantine to create the agency. Durkan felt it was unrealistic for Seattle to solve a problem alone that is fundamentally regional.

At the time, Seattle and King County officials expected other cities to start contributing sooner than they have.

From the jump, Harrell was clear he was not a fan of the authority’s structure, which was intentionally designed to operate somewhat independently of elected officials, under the theory that political incentives are often misaligned with effective management of a homelessness response.

In the past year, Harrell has made moves to wrest control from the authority.

Last year, he pulled back about 10% of the funding the city was providing to the authority that had been earmarked for outreach and homelessness prevention services. He said he thought his staff could be more effective in managing those services, but some saw it as a way for Harrell to increase the clearing of homeless encampments — an issue he and a former authority leader butted heads over.

He has since gone on to clear encampments in record-breaking numbers.

Harrell and other elected officials on the authority’s governing board in October eliminated the board positions of unelected homelessness experts and community members who were supposed to guide the authority based on best practices. However, he and other elected officials said having two boards often got in the way.

Harrell and other elected officials’ issues with the authority go beyond structure and control, though.

The agency drew the ire of nonprofits it contracts to provide homelessness services by paying them late multiple times. It failed to deliver on a promise to end homelessness downtown. And multiple leaders flamed out in dramatic fashion after public disputes with Harrell.

A year ago, the Regional Homelessness Authority hired Kinnison, who has approached the job with a marked deference to Seattle and King County’s elected officials.

"The people who are funding (the King County Regional Homelessness Authority) have the accountability and the decision-making to decide what they’re going to do, Kinnison said in an interview soon after starting.

She is currently under investigation after employees filed 27 pages of complaints against her.

Wilson, Harrell's opponent in the mayoral race, said the authority is currently functioning as a scapegoat for the mayor while having no real autonomy to make any of its own decisions.

Given the reports she's heard from staff about how the agency is functioning, she said she would leave open the option of withdrawing the city's support for it, but is wary about the costs of starting over.