King county moving 400 shelter occupants into hotels

King County continues to reduce shelter concentrations by moving nearly 400 people to hotels

In a continuing effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus and prevent the transmission of illness through the homeless shelter population, King County has negotiated with three local hotels to serve as temporary shelter locations for people experiencing homelessness.

This is another in a series of actions King County is taking to “de-intensify” the concentration of people in shelters. This action also will allow locations to stay open 24/7, and meals will be provided. Onsite services and oversight will be provided by the shelter operators.

These are not isolation and quarantine facilities. The people who are moving are presumed to be well.

The transition to the hotel sites will happen early next week:

• The Sophia Way is moving 100 people from a shelter site in Bellevue to a hotel in Bellevue, at 625 116th Ave NE.
• Catholic Community Services is moving 90 people from shelter sites in Kent, Federal Way and Renton to a SeaTac hotel, at 2900 S 192nd St.
• Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) is moving 200 people from its Seattle shelters to a hotel in Renton, at 1 South Grady Way.

King County is finalizing agreements with the three hotels. The hotels will not be open to other guests during this time.