Community Engagement for the Homelessness Action Plan
The City is committed to ongoing community engagement and conversation about the timely topics and evolving issues related to homelessness in our community—ranging from shaping Kirkland's Homelessness Continuum of Care Action Plan (Action Plan) to informing specific projects related to the plan, such as King County's Health through Housing (HTH) project in Kirkland. This page is intended to keep you apprised of ongoing opportunities to lend your voice to this important topic and provide updates along the way.
Phase I: Plan Development
The initial focus of the City's community engagement efforts is to educate and gather feedback to inform the draft Action Plan. So far, staff has engaged more than 150 community members and stakeholders. This outreach has included overview presentations about homelessness in Kirkland and the City's current response; facilitated small group discussions; and follow-up surveys to ensure multiple opportunities and mechanisms for feedback.
As of April 2025, the City has hosted:
- 2 Community Forums
- 3 Focus Groups
- 4 Kirkland Faith Leader Convenings
- Neighborhood Association Presentations, as requested
Simultaneously, we continued our Health Through Housing community engagement and education including monthly meetings hosted by the City, King County, and Plymouth Housing with local businesses, schools, and the local Neighborhood Association.
Over the coming months, the City will continue gathering feedback from the community to ensure specific needs and concerns are considered before a draft Action Plan is delivered to Council. This outreach includes targeted interviews with business leaders, schools, landlords, people with lived experience, service providers, etc. as well as ongoing, on-demand community conversations. To invite City staff to join your community meetings or group gatherings, email us.
Once Phase One community engagement and staff analysis is complete, staff will deliver a draft Action Plan to Council for their initial consideration and input.
Phase II: Plan Review
Following feedback from Council on the draft Action Plan, staff will present it to relevant Boards and Commissions and then determine how to re-engage the broad community--including reconnecting with participants from Phase I--based on uncovered community needs and the evolving homelessness landscape. Input from Boards, Commissions and the general public will be incorporated into the draft Action Plan and further iterated as needed to culminate in the final Action Plan, which will be submitted to Council for consideration and adoption before the end of 2025.
Early Feedback: What We Heard
The Homelessness Community Forums in February 2025 used the City's homelessness continuum of care overview and this handout(PDF, 2MB) as a guide. Each small group contemplated: “What are your thoughts or concerns on the city's approach to each element of the continuum of care?”
Below are the notes that were captured by each table's designated notetaker:
Day 1 – February 24, 2025 Raw Notes(PDF, 125KB)
Day 2 – February 26, 2025 Raw Notes(PDF, 137KB)
Watch the presentation about the City's Homelessness Continuum of Care from the Community Forum:
Provide Ongoing Feedback
Want to invite the City to have a conversation about homelessness with your community group? Have an idea, comment, question or concern on the topic of homelessness? Email communications@kirklandwa.gov and stay tuned to the latest City news.