Kirkland's Continuum of Care for People Experiencing Homelessness

As Kirkland has grown in population and transitioned into a more urban environment, homelessness, a nationwide issue, has become more visible here. Root causes of homelessness include lack of affordable housing, low-paying jobs, domestic violence, chronic health problems, substance abuse and mental health issues. Through a comprehensive approach among City staff and in partnership with local non-profit organizations and regional partners, our goal is to prevent homelessness and, when it does occur, to transition individuals back into stable housing as soon as possible. The City makes investments in several critical areas as part of its approach to providing a continuum of care to people experiencing homelessness:

1 - Prevention

Homelessness prevention involves resources and supports to keep individuals and families housed when experiencing instability. The goal is to prevent housing disruption by providing direct assistance to residents in order to keep them in their homes.  

The City invests in two types of homelessness prevention, both funded through 2023-2024 Human Services grant awards:

  • Programs that provide direct rent or financial assistance. 
  • Programs that provide direct eviction-prevention assistance through legal resources including a Kirkland-specific housing attorney.

2- Outreach and Kirkland's Homelessness Assistance and Response Team (HART Team)

Homeless Outreach staff work with a variety of City staff across multiple departments to best meet the unique needs of a resident experiencing homelessness. Outreach staff build relationships to foster trust; provide basic need items, including food and water; and connect residents with available services, including shelter, housing, or healthcare.  Meet the team and learn more about the steps this team takes when meeting unhoused residents in the community.

3 - Emergency Shelter Services

Emergency shelter services include programs that offer temporary 24/7 shelter and case management to households who have lost housing. Select programs offer low barrier entry that offers temporary shelter while working with a case manager to secure permanent housing.  Explore a list(PDF, 843KB)  of emergency shelter services on the Eastside.

  • City supports shelter programs for families with children, single men, single women, youth ages 14-24, and survivors of domestic violence
  • All shelters provide wraparound support and case management in addition to providing day center services, including employment, behavioral health support, and food
  • Support transitional housing for single women

Safe parking programs for women and families with children, couples, and single adults

 

 

4 - Permanent Housing

Permanent housing is a community-based housing model not limited to a designated length of stay, unlike emergency shelters. There are several subsets of permanent housing:

  • Permanent Affordable Housing is subsidized housing that ensures households pay no more than 30% of monthly income on rent and utilities. 
  • Permanent Housing with Services is permanent affordable housing with the addition of optional onsite case management services.
  • Permanent Supportive Housing pairs subsidized housing with onsite case management and wraparound services that can include behavioral health, medical services, employment navigation, transportation access, and food access. Learn more about the Permanent Supportive Housing project in Kirkland. 

 

Regional Coordination

The City works regionally with North and East King County funders to collaborate, coordinate, and fund support systems that help residents access basic need resources. 

  • An overview of City-funded programs is available on the Kirkland Human Services Dashboard.  Programs include resources for eviction prevention, emergency shelter services, homeless and housing services, food and essential supplies, and education and employment assistance.
  • The City of Kirkland has also contributed significant funds to and is a member of a Regional Coalition for Housing (ARCH), whose goal is to preserve and increase the supply of housing for low- and moderate-income households in East King County.
  • Additionally, the City collaborates with King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) whose 5-year plan is to significantly decrease homelessness throughout King County. 
  • Locally, the City partners with community and faith-based partners that are dedicated to serving vulnerable residents. Recently, the City created a dedicated position, Homeless Outreach Coordinator, to work proactively with unhoused residents and connect them to resources. 

Use ‘Our Kirkland’ to Notify the City about an Unhoused Individual

The Our Kirkland Portal is your one stop shop to report non-emergency issues, request services, and ask questions. In the event of an emergency, please call 9-1-1. Your Our Kirkland submission will be routed to the City’s Coordinated Response Team for evaluation and action.

Resources

For information regarding housing, food, and other health and human service resources click here.


For information about the Regional Crisis Response (RCR) Agency and the upcoming Crisis Clinic, click here.

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