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Home My WebLink AboutPCD 2021-09-20 Item 1C - Discussion - King County Recreational Vehicle Safe Lot Site ProposalCity of Tukwila Allan Ekberg, Mayor Administrative Services Department- Rachel Bianchi, Deputy CityAdministrator TO: Planning and Community Development Committee FROM: Rachel Bianchi, Deputy City Administrator CC: Mayor Ekberg DATE: September 14, 2021 SUBJECT: King County Recreational Vehicle Safe Lot Site Proposal ISSUE King County recently allocated $50 million in ARPA funds to serve 500 homeless individuals in King County. Please see attachment for more details on how they intend to spend these funds, as well as their broader response to homelessness in the region. As a part of this effort, the County would like to site a recreational vehicle (RV) safe lot at the former Randy's Restaurant site in north Tukwila. This property was originally purchased by the King County Airport and is expected to revert to aeronautical use once the RV program sunsets in two years. This would be a temporary facility lasting two years as ARPA is one-time funding, hosting up to 50 RVs over the two years, peaking at approximately 20 at a time. It is expected the RVs would come from different areas of the County, including the opportunity for any residents in Tukwila currently living in an RV. The County is no longer pursuing a hotel property in Tukwila as part of the Health through Housing initiative. DISCUSSION King County proposes to demolish the former Randy's Restaurant, tie into existing water and power and are investigating whether they would be able to tie into the existing sewer system. The County would operate the facility and has indicated that the following will be included in the proposed RV safe lot site: • Screened fencing around the perimeter of the site • Controlled entry in and out of the facility • Personnel to include: o 24-hour onsite security o Site manager o Behavioral health staff o Staff focusing on connecting people to permanent housing and employment • Regular visits from mobile units to empty RV grey water tanks • Mechanics to support the RVs maintenance, potential towing services if needed to ultimately remove a vehicle This proposal falls under the proposed TMC changes regulating emergency shelters (see COW Packet from September 13, 2021 and Regular Meeting packet from September 20, 2021), as prescribed by House Bill 1220. Therefore, the following conditions would be required for the County to operate such a facility: • Capacity limit of up to 45 individuals • Development of and adherence to a Good Neighbor Agreement covering quiet hours, smoking areas, security procedures, litter, landscaping and screening • Creation of a code of conduct agreement that residents are required to follow • Parking plan for any non -RV vehicles Tukwila City Hall • 6200 Southcenter Boulevard • Tukwila, WA 98188 • 206-433-1800 • Website: TukwilaWA.gov 33 • Development of a coordination plan with the Tukwila Police and Fire Departments to develop protocols to respond to the site and its residents • Regular communication with the Human Services Program Coordinator via reports on how the facility is meeting metrics such as placement in permanent housing or addiction treatment programs. While still a preliminary proposal, staff is supportive given the broad need in the region to serve homeless individuals and the opportunity for the City of Tukwila to play a role in the regional effort to combat homelessness. RECOMMENDATION Information only. Staff will report back to the Committee as the proposal becomes more solidified. ATTACHMENTS King County COVID-Response Homelessness Investments 34 King County COVID-Response Homelessness Investments 113 King County Context: A preexisting crisis of unsheltered homelessness is colliding with the twin health and economic crises of COVID-19. New resources—economic and social—born of the pandemic afford us an opportunity to act boldly and address homelessness and COVID's health & economic crises and to do so in ways that lessens racial -ethnic disproportionality instead of perpetuating it. The challenge/opportunity in the COVID-7 supplemental budget's housing/homelessness investments is to ensure one-time investments of unprecedented resources are individually effective vs. homelessness & collectively part of our larger, ongoing, systemic efforts against inequity. This memo has two purposes: • Zoom Out and depict how large parts of King County's current efforts to create more housing, keep people housed, and bring more people inside fit together in the context of the COVID emergencies. • Zoom Into provide detail on the design and intent of the County's COVID-7 homelessness response investments, with a specific focus on the $50M Homelessness Emergency Response Fund. Zooming Out: Countywide Housing & Homelessness Strategies Program Strategy Description # People Served Type of Service Timeline HtH: Health through Housing. Sites identified in: • Redmond • Auburn • Federal Way • Renton • Seattle Bring people experiencing or at risk of chronic homelessness inside with urgency, focusing where the market does not (0-30%) and taking advantage of temporary market conditions. At least 1,600 housing units: 1,155 in newly HtH units and 445 through funding operations of forthcoming permanent supportive housing. Emergency or Permanent Supportive Housing with Behavioral Health Services. Acquire and put into use the first eight facilities in 2021; meet 1,600 target by October 2022. EPRAP: Eviction Prevention & Rental Assistance Program. Countywide reach. Provide rent payment for people behind on their rent to prevent thousands of evictions, many of which could lead to homelessness. More than 9,000 households served in 2020 with $37M. Expecting to expend approx. $350M in 2021. Rent Assistance & Eviction Prevention 2021-2022 Shelter Deintensification sites in: • SeaTac • Renton • Seattle Reduce risk of spreading COVID amidst people experiencing homelessness while maintaining shelter capacity. Approximately 350-400 clients. Emergency Shelter 2020-2021 Isolation & Quarantine sites in: • Issaquah • Seattle • Kent Reduce risk of spreading COVID by providing hotel rooms for people experiencing homelessness and others who cannot isolate. Approximately 100 rooms. Now approximately 40. Emergency Hotel units Kent site ongoing as needed. Other sites now closed. KC Affordable Housing Pipeline Various sites countywide. Investing local, state, and federal funding sources to build and preserve a variety of affordable housing options. 21 projects/1,227 units completed since 2015 ($40M in KC $); 45 projects/3,855 units in pipeline ($157M in KC $) Mix of Affordable Housing, Permanent Supportive Housing, TOD, and Home Ownership Ongoing. VASH Voucher Pilot Partnership Scattered site, countywide. First -in -the -nation program just approved by the Federal VA Secretary: Use King County social workers to activate 142 VA Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers and get more veterans housed. 142 homeless veteran households. Supportive Housing. 2021 and ongoing Skyway Tiny Home Village Already directed in previous budget. 40-50 people. Shelter Summer/Fall 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Focus on serving Seattle and urban unincorporated areas. Use one-time federal funding to advance COVID response & recovery for persons experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Bring at least 500 people inside this year, focusing on downtown Seattle & Urban Unincorporated area. Various initiatives to reduce unsheltered homelessness: • $40M Jobs & Rapid Rehousing Initiative • $12.5M for JustCARE/Co-LEAD • $50 Emergency Homelessness Response Fund 2021-2023 Updated: 9/10/21 35 Zooming In: The Details of COVID-7 Emergency Homeless Response Investments Within the context of the County's $600M+ COVID-7 budget, this "zoom -in" specifically addresses the homelessness -response and behavioral health services appropriations within the proposal. Zooming In: COVID-7 Strategies and Tactics bring at least 500 more people inside this year as part of ongoing COVID response and recovery. Strategies Tactics Impact Target & Cost Modeling High -Intensity Outreach, Hoteling/Enhanced Shelter, & Behavioral Health Services Serving Seattle Downtown and Pioneer Square, including City Hall Park near the County Courthouse • Extension of JustCARE Seattle & CO -LEAD Burien through June, 2022, including outreach/hoteling/behavioral health services program • New Downtown 40 -bed Behavioral Health Crisis Response Shelter (24 months + Capital Tenant Improvements) Maintains 171 existing beds that will otherwise expire, adds 55 new beds, 40 of which are Behavioral Health Crisis Response Enhanced Shelter. $19.8M Bring More People Inside with Enhanced Shelter or Emergency Housing with Services Various sites in Seattle's Downtown/Pioneer Square/SoDo neighborhoods. • Optimize the enhanced shelter in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood to use facility's full COVID-safe capacity (24 months) • Lease new 90 -bed facility for temporary Sobering Center & new 50 -bed enhanced shelter (24 months) • Create and Operate a new 50 -unit pallet shelter village in Seattle's Downtown/SoDo neighborhood (24 months) • Lease/Purchase up to 80 units of new Emergency Housing in/near Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood • Provide full year of Rapid Rehousing Support for up to 300 people currently staying in Shelters/Emergency Housing (300 year-long opportunities—part of the separate $40M appropriation) • Support conversion of 64 SRO units into enhanced Shelter (24 months) Maintains 40 beds (sobering), goal to add 302 new beds, adds access to up to 300 new market units (through Rapid Rehousing) to open up to 300 existing shelter beds for new clients. $36.9M Emergency Overnight Shelter for Jail Release & Hospital Discharge Seattle Downtown • Reinstate 35 -person 4th & Jefferson Emergency Basic Shelter (24 months) Restores 35 basic beds to bring new people inside. $2M Support Vehicle Residents & Provide Emergency Housing Access Searching for sites countywide • Provide a supported RV community with bathroom, shower, electricity, garbage, and supportive services for up to 50 RVs (24 months) • Provide outreach and hotel vouchers for vehicle residents to bring up to 60 people inside (24 months) Support and/or bring inside new 110 households currently living in vehicles. $5M Economic, Employment, & Health Supports for People Experiencing Homelessness Focus on Seattle, plus countywide Health through Housing sites, other permanent supportive housing sites, and encampment sites. • Onsite 24/7 Downtown Campus Behavioral Health Response Team • Stimulus Check & Benefits Receipt Assistance • Shelter Focused Jobs Initiative (part of the separate $40M appropriation) • New Mobile Intensive Case Management for Permanent Supportive Housing • Encampment Sanitation Activities $36.3M Create & Support Provider Capacity Countywide • Provider Sustainability Supports • Provider Co-Mentorship & Consultation $2.4M Tiny House Village Location not yet identified • Site and operate a tiny home village for individuals experiencing homelessness. $3M 36