Crossposted from Cultivating Connections

King County Department of Human and Community Services (DCHS) today released new data on the Health Through Housing (HTH) initiative, showing improved housing and health outcomes for people living in Health Through Housing buildings throughout last year. Health Through Housing transforms former hotels and other underutilized properties into permanent supportive housing with onsite services, including physical and behavioral health care, for people experiencing chronic homelessness.

In 2024, Health Through Housing served 1,281 people across all 11 open locations in Auburn, Burien, Renton, Redmond, and Seattle. Encouragingly, 95% of permanent supportive housing residents were able to maintain a stable home. The vast majority of residents( 97%) have previous ties to the neighborhood where they live.

“After being homeless for over 20 years off and on, I can finally shut my door,” shared a Health Through Housing resident. “I can use my bathroom and take a shower without asking for permission. I have a laundry room and have clean clothes. I’m finally able to go to all my doctor appointments. I even started a garden to grow vegetables and flowers for everyone.” Read more.

When Georgetown Wet Weather Treatment Station went up in one of Seattle’s oldest neighborhoods, you could say it took a village to raise it. Among the tradespeople deployed to construct our newest clean water facility were electricians, concrete finishers, welders, and ironworkers. 

For four whole years, the site buzzed with power tools and expertise – in no small part from the surrounding community itself. The project generated hundreds of construction jobs and brought on more than 40 women-and-minority-owned businesses as subcontractors who did everything from installing underground utilities and pouring concrete walls to installing cisterns and conducting community outreach. Read more.

Do you have ideas for how King County government could work better? The King County Auditor’s Office wants to hear from you!

The King County Auditor’s Office is looking for input as it plans its work for the next biennium. To gather that input, they have launched a new website where employees and community members can share their experiences and suggest potential topics for future audits.

The King County Auditor’s Office conducts oversight of county government through independent audits, capital projects oversight, and other studies. Every other year, the Auditor assembles a work program for approval by the King County Council.

Submit your ideas by July 1, 2025, for them to be considered for inclusion in the Auditor’s 2026-27 work plan. You input can help ensure government works effectively, efficiently and equitably for everyone.

Crossposted from Converge Media

June 13, 2025, will be remembered as a landmark day for King County, which hosted its first-ever Summit on Crime Survivors at the Sea Mar Museum of Chicano/a/Latino/a Culture. The event convened a broad spectrum of individuals—survivors of violent crime, families of victims, elected officials, law enforcement, victim advocates, community organizations, and mental health experts—to confront the profound impact of crime and the urgent need for robust community support. This inaugural summit was not merely a meeting; it was a poignant and transformative experience marked by raw emotion, powerful testimonials, and a unified dedication to fostering real change.

The summit’s agenda centered on several critical themes: victim-centered solutions, accountability, trauma healing and support, resource allocation and funding, justice system improvements, and community engagement. Survivors ardently emphasized the importance of being “heard, believed, and included in decision-making processes that affect their lives. They expressed a strong desire to actively contribute to solutions rather than being passive recipients of aid. Accountability for harm and the need for interventions to prevent future violence were repeatedly stressed. Read more.