Shoreline council to consider a new 60 bed homeless shelter on Aurora
Friday, August 7, 2020
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| The Oak Tree on Aurora (formerly Arden Rehab) could become a King county homeless shelter |
By Diane Hettrick
In response to this Council direction, staff has been working to explore options for the siting of a 24/7 shelter for single homeless adults to serve the North King County area.
A convergence of recent events has created an opportunity for the siting of a shelter much more quickly than could have been anticipated.
In June, staff became aware that The Oaks at Forest Bay Nursing Home (The Oaks), (formerly Arden Rehab) located at 16357 Aurora Ave N, was closing and the property was going to be offered for sale.
Since that time, King County has expressed interest in obtaining the property and partnering with the King County Housing Authority for potential acquisition.
King county would be able to take advantage of funds recently released by the federal Department of Commerce to purchase the property. Part of the requirements for getting the funds is that the shelter has to be up and running by December of this year.
As the facility is already in operation, this would require very little work for compliance.
The facility could serve as an emergency shelter for 60 single adults in the short term (likely three to seven years), and permanent supportive housing in the long term.
Even though it is a "study" item on the council agenda for Monday, August 10, 2020, it really is a decision. Shoreline's part in this is to change the zoning for the site. If they instruct staff to proceed, then it's a "go" for King county.
Shoreline would not own the site and would not be part of the purchase.
The King County Housing Authority owns multiple properties in Shoreline from apartment complexes to low income senior apartment buildings. Their mission is to buy property and keep rents affordable.
Lake City Partners would also partner with King county and the Housing Authority to run this shelter. They are a coalition formed to combat homelessness. Before COVID-19 they managed a homeless shelter that rotated among partner organizations. Many of the sites have since ceased to participate because of the pandemic.
If you have comments on this item, here is the information on how to contact city council.
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4 comments:
Here we go again. Shoreline City Council bending over to make the city a dumping ground for all of Seattle's failed policies. might as well throw in a heroin/meth lounge in the lobby while you're at it! When crime gets worse in this area than it already is, we're bussing them all down to Richmond Beach where the architects of these grand proposals can enjoy the "lived experience" that they've created that they expect everyone in the middle-income neighborhoods to endure. Never let a crisis go to waste!
Hey, anonymous! I just volunteered for the past 18 months with Ronald United Methodists's 10 person homeless shelter. Our siblings we housed there were all FROM Shoreline. They went to Shorewood and Shorecrest. They are not from outside. They are from here.
This is not just for the City of Shoreline, in fact, the city is not connected to the site after the change in zoning. It will be owned by King County and will service North King County.
The possible plans are for a navigational center. By definition, this means the homeless that do not do well with traditional homeless shelters i.e. ones displaced from encampments, etc. It is low barrier and minimum rules.
I would think you'd be thrilled to have King County paying for this. That means the City of Shoreline doesn't have to use their budget. It's a good thing. Housed people are more stable and more able to work on sobriety, etc.
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