KING COUNTY, Wash. — An ambitious plan to end homelessness in King County that carried a sky-high price tag came back down to Earth on Friday.
A revised five-year plan to bring people indoors took another step forward, but the organization behind it is struggling with infighting and a shake-up at the top. It’s a sign of progress for the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) amid a backdrop of problems.
Near the beginning of the online meeting of the KCRHA Implementation Board, Marc Dones, the former CEO, made a few remarks.
“I am really, really confident that this is the right team to take over," Dones said, who told colleagues he was burned out by the job he’s held since 2018 and decided to resign.
However, the work left to do is extensive, and so far, the Authority has been criticized for coming up short on important administrative functions. That includes a failure to pay nonprofit service providers on time.
KOMO News asked Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell about the performance of the KCRHA and whether he was concerned about Dones’ departure.
“We will even go back and look at how the Regional Homelessness Authority has operated in the last year, year and a half,” the mayor said.
There was also an online meeting on May 3 of the KCRHA Continuum of Care Advisory Committee where board members appeared to turn on each other, and one appeared to make a threat.
“I'm about to beat these people,” one member can be heard saying, to which another responded, “You are not muted."
At another point, when a board member objected to a sex offender being nominated for a committee, Co-Chair Shanee Colston erupted in protest.
"I don't care if they are a sex offender,” Colston shouted. “I don't care if they are Black. I don't care if they are Indigenous. I don't care if they are a criminal. I don't care if they are coming out of jail, prison. Everyone deserves housing.”
Another board member tried to cut her off and said, “OK, OK Shanee. We got you."
It is against this backdrop the KCRHA advanced its revised five-year plan, now guided by interim CEO Helen Howell until a permanent leader is named.
“This gives us a fresh opportunity to look forward and implement best practices and question whether we are doing that right now,” Harrell said.
The five-year plan had two minor amendments to make sure non-congregate shelter remains an option on the table. It now advances to the KCRHA Governing Committee for a vote on June 1.
The KCRHA said its revised plan can be accomplished within its existing budgets over the next five years. The Authority has a $253 million budget in 2023 and $250 million in 2024. The plan also opens the door to more tiny homes. It prioritizes organizations that serve traditionally disadvantaged groups, and it pushes back negotiations to restructure contracts with nonprofits to the fall instead of next month.