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Axios Seattle
Fate of Seattle-area regional homelessness authority uncertain
By Christine Clarridge,
2024-02-29
With the high-profile resignation of its leader last year and the announcement this month of the loss of $11.7 million in annual funding from Seattle, the fate of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority is up in the air.
Why it matters: The agency was created in 2019 as a multimillion-dollar experiment that sought to craft a unique approach to addressing regional homelessness — a long-standing issue in numerous West Coast cities .
An audit by the Office of the Washington State Auditor, released last year , found the agency did not have effective internal controls in place to ensure accurate and reliable financial reporting.
In a Feb. 16 letter to the authority , Seattle's human services director said the city would be taking back $4.2 million annually in funding starting this year and an additional $7.5 million annually starting in 2025.
City spokesperson Lori Baxter told Axios that Seattle will continue to fund many services through the authority and that the mayor remains committed to building a "strong regional approach to addressing homelessness."
The authority did not respond to requests for comment from Axios but King County spokesperson Chase Gallagher told Axios the authority is moving forward with recruitment for a new CEO (with an advertised salary of $250,000 to $300,000) and "taking on other governance improvements."
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