King County Purchases Redmond Hotel For Housing Homeless

Photo credit:  Redmond Reporter

King County has purchased the former Silver Cloud Inn in Redmond, its fourth hotel purchase through the Health through Housing Initiative. King County Executive Dow Constantine joined Redmond Mayor Angela Birney and other guests at a news conference today to announce the $28.25 million purchase of the hotel, which will soon provide housing for up to 144 people experiencing homelessness.

"Across King County, communities are stepping up to the challenge of addressing chronic homelessness, and I am excited to partner with Mayor Birney and the City of Redmond on the next step of Health through Housing," said Executive Constantine. "Health Through Housing is built on partnerships to bring in our neighbors from off the street, and I’m thankful for Mayor Birney and the City to bring this vision to life for the people of King County."

The former Silver Cloud Inn in Redmond is located [near Microsoft] at 2122 152nd Ave. NE and is conveniently located near transportation options and other services. It was constructed in 1984 and contains 144 units and sits on approximately 1.94 acres.

Health through Housing is a regional approach to addressing chronic homelessness on a countywide scale. By the end of 2022, King County will partner with local jurisdictions to create up to 1,600 emergency housing and permanent supportive housing units for people experiencing chronic homelessness. The County is acquiring existing facilities, like the Silver Cloud Inn in Redmond, to quickly create housing that is dignified, protective and service enriched.

In addition to a room to call their own, the hotel will offer residents 24/7 onsite staffing that will include case management and access to physical and behavioral health services. A competitive process will determine the onsite service provider before the facility is operational later this year.

“Homelessness is a regional crisis and Redmond is committed to being part of the solution,” said Redmond Mayor Angela Birney. “Redmond has always been at the forefront of this crisis beginning with our Community Task Force on Homelessness, to employing the first Homeless Outreach Coordinator in East King County, and now future home to permanent supportive housing. We are committed to effective solutions that allow our community to continue to thrive while providing compassion and safety for all.”

As with all Health through Housing initiative hotel purchases, King County worked closely with local leaders to complete the purchase, coordinating with the City of Redmond, and business and community groups.

"During the COVID-19 pandemic, as we moved people out of congregate shelters and into hotels to keep them safe, we learned a very important lesson. When you give a person experiencing homelessness a door, privacy, and security, it makes a huge difference in their ability to stabilize, take care of their health, and start thinking about how they can move from homelessness to housing," said King County Council Chair Claudia Balducci. "I am thrilled to see the Health through Housing effort take root on the Eastside as part of a regional strategy to address homelessness. Thank you to the City of Redmond for their partnership and I look forward to continuing efforts to implement long-term solutions that will change people’s lives."

"The one silver lining to this awful pandemic is that we discovered a better way to help those suffering from homelessness and this acquisition is part of the approach to more quickly transition families into permanent housing," said Sen. Patty Kuderer, D-Bellevue.

"The Eastside is growing, and with accelerated growth comes a shared responsibility to do more to help our neighbors who need housing and are struggling to find a safe place to live. We applaud this bold action by King County to prioritize the health and stability of every resident who calls this region home," said Jane Broom, Senior Director of Microsoft Philanthropies for Washington state.

The Redmond purchase is Health through Housing’s largest so far in terms of number of units. King County has purchased three other hotels in the Health through Housing initiative, the former Holiday Inn Express & Suites North Seattle with 99 units, the former Extended Stay America hotel in Renton with 110 units and the Inn at Queen Anne with 80 units.

Health through Housing is an initiative introduced by Executive Constantine in his 2020 Budget Speech that dedicates one tenth of a cent of sales tax revenues for the purchase of hotels, motels and other single room settings for use as emergency and permanent supportive housing for people experiencing chronic homelessness in King County. The King County Council approved the initiative and the implementation of the funding. The sales tax was made possible by the Washington State Legislature to create a dedicated fund source to help in addressing the crisis of homelessness.

-- King County Executive Office, 206-263-8537