Shelter and Housing

McKinney-Vento Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Program

Each year, more than $22 million of McKinney Vento Homeless Assistance Act funds flow from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) into King County to provide housing, supportive services and rental assistance to homeless people.

McKinney funding is critical to our region’s implementation of the Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness in King County. These funds help homeless persons meet three goals:

• achieve residential stability;
• increase their skill levels and/or incomes; and
• strengthen their ability to influence decisions that affect their lives.

Since 1995, the City of Seattle and King County have applied for these funds on behalf of a regional consortium of service providers operating a total of 1,776 units of housing throughout the county. Each program has a focus on a specific audience -- families, single adults, single women and single men, victims of domestic violence, veterans or persons with severe mental illness.

The Supportive Housing Program component of McKinney specifically helps people make the transition from homelessness to independent living. Other McKinney programs are the Emergency Shelter Grants Program for emergency shelter; Shelter Plus Care for permanent supportive housing and Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation for Single Room Occupancy Dwellings for Homeless Individuals, another permanent housing options.

To receive McKinney funding, HUD requires applicants to work through a local “Continuum of Care.” For Seattle and King County, the Continuum of Care encompasses programs and activities within the borders of King County including Seattle. Each continuum sets funding priorities and need for its community. The Seattle-King County Continuum of Care priorities are set by the Committee to End Homelessness in King County.

Each year, the King County Continuum of Care is awarded over $22 million of McKinney funding. Of that amount, $13.2 million go to programs in Seattle; the remainder to agencies in King County. Here's the list of previously funded programs.

If you are a homeless person needing assistance, please contact the
211 Information Line by dialing 211 or 1-800-621-4636.

If you are an agency interested in seeking McKinney funding for transitional or permanent supportive housing (emergency shelters are not eligible for this fund source), please call Eileen Denham at 206-684-0915.

Seattle Human Services Department
Street address: 700 5th Avenue, Suite 5800, Seattle, WA 98104
Mailing address: PO Box 34215, Seattle, WA 98124-4215

Phone: 206-386-1001
Fax: 206-233-5119
TTY/TTD: 206-233-2778

Accommodations for people with disabilities provided upon request.