Lawmakers move to dissolve King County homeless agency after audit finds $13M in mismanaged funds

Efforts to shut down the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) are gaining momentum after a forensic audit found $13 million in taxpayer funds were mismanaged amid a growing $45 million deficit.

King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski introduced legislation Tuesday — co-sponsored by Councilmember Reagan Dunn — to end King County’s participation in the homelessness authority.

He has called for the agency to be dissolved, telling “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio last week that KCRHA’s current structure is failing.

“I just think you’ve set up a structure that is almost destined to not succeed,” he said. “The more lines of authority and accountability you’ve got, the harder it is to drive results.”

Dunn urged his fellow councilmembers to stand behind the legislation.

“I appreciate my colleague Councilmember Rod Dembowski’s leadership in introducing this legislation and urge my colleagues to support it,” he said.

Legislation targets King County homeless agency as council plans August dissolution vote

Beyond that legislation, Dembowski, along with King County Councilmembers Jorge L. Barón and Steffanie Fain, announced they plan to work with King County Executive Girmay Zahilay to “assess the authority’s current financial shortfalls and establish a framework for decision-making that prioritizes accountability, transparency, and the effective provision of services,” according to a news release.

The plan is to propose that the council take up the motion to dissolve the KCRHA in August, once that assessment is finished.

“We know from this forensic evaluation that KCRHA is deeply troubled in its financial management practices, and we also recognize the uncertainty this creates for providers and partners working every day to deliver critical services,” council members said in a joint statement. “We want to be clear: our goal is to ensure stability and continuity for those providers and the people they serve as we work through next steps.”

“We need to take time to assess the issues, risks, and impacts of any changes to KCRHA and make an informed decision about the future of the agency,” the statement continued. “We must be responsible for our taxpayer dollars, but we must also be responsible for the people of King County who rely on these programs.”

Seattle City Councilmember Maritza Rivera is leading a parallel effort to dissolve KCRHA at the city level.

Frank Lenzi is the News Director for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here.

Follow @FrankLenziKIRO