Editor's Note: The above video about King County purchasing a Renton hotel to house the homeless was published in June 2021.
REDMOND, Wash. – King County’s “Health through Housing” initiative has resulted in a fourth hotel purchase, this time in Redmond.
The county announced Wednesday that it purchased the former Silver Cloud Inn for $28.25 million. The county said that it expects to house up to 144 people experiencing homelessness at the property.
"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 King County Executive Dow Constantine in a release.
The previous three hotels the county has purchased as part of this initiative are the Inn at Queen Anne, the Extended Stay America hotel in Renton and the Holiday Inn Express & Suites in North Seattle.
The new hotel in Redmond is the largest in terms of the number of units that the county has purchased. It is expected to welcome residents by the end of the year.
According to the release, the county hopes to provide up to 1,600 emergency housing and permanent supportive housing units for people going through chronic homelessness.
As with the other properties, the Redmond hotel will provide residents with 24/7 onsite staffing that will include case management along with access to physical and behavioral health services.
“Homelessness is a regional crisis and Redmond is committed to being part of the solution,” said Redmond Mayor Angela Birney.
Funding for the “Health through Housing” initiative comes from a 0.1% sales tax approved by the county council last fall.
In all, the county said it plans to spend around $355 million on purchases like the one in Redmond to house 45% of the county’s homeless by October 2022.