King County Deserves Better Than the KCRHA
People living outside deserve a real path to safety and stability. The public deserves confidence that the money committed to helping them is being used responsibly.
The King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) has failed to earn that confidence. And another change in leadership is no longer an adequate response.
CEO Kelly Kinnison resigned November 6, effective November 16, as the agency faces renewed scrutiny over its finances and future. Her departure follows years of accounting problems, leadership turnover, and promises of improvement.
Enough is enough. Seattle and King County should disband KCRHA and build a homelessness response with clear responsibility for spending and results.
Many residents have supported significant public investment in addressing homelessness because they want their neighbors to get help. They want shelters that open, services that reach people, and housing programs that help people rebuild their lives.
That willingness to invest deserves competent management and honest answers.
Instead, an independent financial review found approximately $259 million in grant commitments had gone unused by service providers as of July, including some funding still available for the remainder of 2026.
Yet somehow, the agency also faces a roughly $16.7 million financial hole that Seattle and King County are working to repay and leadership has continued asking for more upfront funding.
At a time when people urgently need help, the failure to put committed resources to work is deeply troubling. So is the prospect of public dollars covering administrative failures while essential needs remain unmet.
Meanwhile, King County’s homeless population reached an estimated 18,365 people in 2026, up 9% from 2024. Nationally, the trend is moving in the other direction: homelessness declined 6.3% between 2025 and 2026, according to newly released federal figures. The comparisons cover different periods, but the contrast deserves attention. Progress elsewhere, including San Francisco, should give our region both hope that improvement is possible and urgency to examine what needs to change here.
Some elected officials have been willing to say that continuing this way is unacceptable. They deserve credit for standing up:
- King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski introduced legislation to end the county’s participation in KCRHA.
- King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn joined as lead co-sponsor and urged colleagues to support dissolution.
- Seattle City Councilmember Maritza Rivera called for dissolution alongside Dembowski in April and renewed that call after the latest financial findings.
Their colleagues should join them. Protecting public trust requires leaders willing to acknowledge when an institution is failing and take responsibility for changing it.
Change Washington has previously called for dismantling KCRHA and putting accountability and recovery at the center of the region’s response. We also warned that reorganizing the agency would mean little without meaningful changes in strategy.
Seattle and King County are already preparing to take back locally funded service contracts beginning in January. They should now commit to an orderly dissolution, protecting essential services and federal funding while assigning the remaining responsibilities to organizations that can be held accountable.
That transition must include public reporting on spending, clear expectations for providers, and results people can see: fewer neighbors living outside, timely access to mental health care and addiction treatment, and more people reaching lasting stability.
With the election behind us, elected leaders have an opportunity to give voters something they urgently need: reason to believe government can recognize failure, change course, and make life better.
How much worse does an organization’s record have to get before leaders decide enough is enough? After repeated financial failures, leadership changes, and promises of reform, residents deserve a clear answer about what will finally trigger action.
Dembowski, Dunn, and Rivera have shown a willingness to confront that question. Their colleagues should build on that leadership and commit to a clear plan and timeline for disbanding KCRHA while protecting the people who depend on its services.
Compassion requires us to care whether help actually reaches people. Restoring hope means showing that public investment can deliver safer communities and a real path out of homelessness, with leaders who take responsibility when it falls short.
Contact your King County Councilmember and Seattle City Councilmembers and urge them to support disbanding KCRHA, protect essential services, and demand measurable results.
People experiencing homelessness and the public investing in their future deserve a response they can believe in.