Homelessness in Kirkland

[Karen Story]

Homelessness in Kirkland

Several Highlands residents recently attended a forum on homelessness hosted by the City of Kirkland. This is part of an ongoing community conversation to learn more about this important issue, what the city is doing, and make plans for addressing needs in the future. Register for an upcoming focus group below.

If you see someone experiencing homelessness, you can contact:

·       Non-urgent:

o   Meli Paulo, Homelessness Outreach Coordinator, 425-587-3242, mpa...@kirklandwa.gov

o   Use the Our Kirkland Portal

·       Urgent:

o   Call 911. They will connect you to the appropriate services.

o   Remember that 911 is not only for emergencies.

Learn more about Homelessness in Kirkland at kirklandwa.gov/homelessness.

The City’s goal is to prevent homelessness and, when it does occur, to transition individuals back into stable housing as soon as possible:

·       Ensuring Kirkland remains safe, welcoming and economically vibrant

·       Making homelessness in Kirkland rare, brief, and non-recurring by providing paths to stable housing

·       Fostering a balanced, person-centered approach that considers the varied interests of everyone in Kirkland—housed and unhoused—with compassion

·       Upholding the evolving laws and codes to which everyone in Kirkland is bound while not imposing additional restrictions on unhoused residents due to their circumstances

·       Partnering with, rather than duplicating, the work of non-profit, faith-based, county, state, and federal programs

·       Not opening our parks, roadways, alleys, underpasses etc. to unauthorized sleeping, parking, or camping

·       Not taking on disproportionate resource burdens or becoming a regional attractant for unhoused residents

The City currently invests in five strategies that provide a Continuum of Care for people who are, or are at risk of, experiencing homelessness (learn more about each of these here):

·       Prevention

·       Outreach (Kirkland's Homelessness Assistance and Response Team (HART))

·       Emergency Shelter Services

·       Temporary Shelter and Housing

·       Subsidized Permanent Housing

Register here for an Upcoming Focus Group on Homelessness:

·       Monday, March 17 from 4-5:30 p.m. (virtual)

·       Wednesday, March 19 from 1:30-3 p.m. (City Hall)

·       Monday, March 24 from 4-5:30 p.m. (City Hall)