MYNORTHWEST NEWS

King County approves $100,000 for homeless bus tickets to reunify families

Nov 20, 2019, 12:53 PM | Updated: 1:04 pm

king county homeless, seattle homeless, kent, All Home...

A homeless encampment on public and private property near NW 46th Street in Seattle. (City of Seattle)

(City of Seattle)

The program that helps King County homeless people get bus tickets out of the area to reunify with family in other parts of the country has acquired $100,000. Pushed by Councilmember Reagan Dunn, the funding was approved by the King County Council on Wednesday.

The current budget for family reunification is $37,000. The program enables a homeless person to get a pre-paid ticket anywhere in the U.S., under the condition that they have family there who can provide a home for them.

Defying NIMBY, some Seattle residents are hosting homeless in backyards

King County Executive’s office also plans to redesign Dunn’s proposed Homeward Bound family reunification program in order to streamline the program and raise awareness of it in the homeless community.

“This funding allows us to offer stop-gap family reunification services while collecting data that will inform the design of a dedicated Homeward Bound program,” Dunn said. “Considering that San Diego spends $1.2 million on their Homeward Bound program, ours will ultimately require a larger investment — but for now, this is a good start.”

Timeline: Understanding Seattle’s homeless issues

The latest homeless count for Seattle/King County showed that there are 11,199 people experiencing homelessness countywide. Of those counted, an estimated 2,451 individuals were in families with children, 1,089 were unaccompanied youth, 830 were veterans, and 32 percent were identified as people of color.

King County data shows that nine percent of local homeless people have indicated that such a reunification would enable them to find permanent housing.

MyNorthwest News

Photo: On Monday, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced there will be 16 new preschool classrooms across Se...

Julia Dallas

Harrell’s office announces Seattle preschool slots for thousands of kids

Thousands more families will have the chance to start their children's Seattle preschool education earlier, thanks to a program launching.

5 hours ago

Digital...

Micki Gamez

How parents can help prevent children from falling victim to online sex crimes

Chances are, if your teen has a cell phone or tablet, they either know someone or they have been the victim of an online sex crime because kids as young as seven are online more than ever. My interest in this story began almost the same time last year when my daughter came home and […]

9 hours ago

Pierce County Jail...

Bill Kaczaraba

Pierce County Corrections chief at odds with the employee guild

The Corrections Bureau's Guild has issued Patti Jackson a vote of 'no confidence,' as reported by The Tacoma News Tribune.

11 hours ago

Image: A Seattle Police Department vehicle seen during the day...

Sam Campbell

Security guard stabbed, suspect barricades inside Beacon Hill apartment

SWAT officers surrounded a complex in Seattle's Beacon Hill neighborhood after police said a man stabbed a guard barricaded himself inside.

12 hours ago

seattle indecent exposure...

Frank Sumrall

Seattle man arrested for 14 counts of indecent exposure, most near schools

A 34-year-old man was arrested by Seattle police (SPD) in connection to 14 counts of indecent exposure near Lake Forest Park.

12 hours ago

Federal Way shootings...

Bill Kaczaraba

Federal Way Police say two shootings are related

Police believe two shootings in Federal Way are related.

15 hours ago

King County approves $100,000 for homeless bus tickets to reunify families