FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 7/1/2013
Councilmember Nick Licata
Council approves funds to support 50 additional unsheltered homeless families
SEATTLE – City Council authorized spending today to support 50 homeless families in Seattle. This is in addition to another 100 homeless families who were already scheduled to receive assistance under the Kids Plus program. These funds will assist specifically those staying with their children in places not fit for human habitation.
The $135,000 in funds will go toward housing assistance, outreach and general support like food, diapers, medication and transportation. The Council has set a goal that that no family in Seattle should go unsheltered.
“The 2013 One Night Count cited at least 1,900 unsheltered people on the streets of Seattle, and many of those people were families,” said Councilmember Nick Licata, sponsor of the legislation. “I expect this funding will help change some lives.”
Last year the Council stated that funds for homeless families should be prioritized to serve those who were unsheltered and staying in places unfit for habitation. Currently, these homeless families may have to wait three months before receiving any assistance for housing. Kids Plus is the one outreach provider for families in Seattle, so expanded capacity will allow the program the flexibility to respond with resources to meet emergent needs as well as to provide longer term stability supports.
The City invests more than $30 million annually in programs and services to assist homeless individuals and families. In the past two years, the Council has provided an additional $1 million in funding for shelter, rapid re-housing and other services to help move homeless individuals and families off the streets and into shelter and housing.