The King County Department of Community and Human Services, in partnership with Catholic Community Services (CCS), is moving residents at the Quality Inn Shelter De-Intensification site to a new location at the Sleep Inn on International Boulevard in SeaTac.
CCS will continue as the service provider to the new location, which provides 24/7 shelter to about 100 South King County households. The move will happen this week— King County will provide transportation to and from the facility using the most appropriate, safe transportation options available.
The lease at the Quality Inn is set to expire on 12/30. The County and CCS decided to move residents to an alternative location to continue providing a safe place for residents. King County Facilities Management Division (FMD) signed a new lease that starts this week and will go through June of 2021.
The purpose of shelter de-intensification:
The most effective strategy to slow the spread of COVID-19 is to prevent people from becoming sick in the first place.
Most King County residents have the ability to isolate or quarantine in a home of their own. Residents are isolating and quarantining in their own homes in every neighborhood across the County. King County residents experiencing homelessness do not have a place in which they can safely isolate or quarantine, and many live in congregate shelter settings.
In order to contain the spread of COVID-19 amongst individuals living in congregate shelters and staff serving those individuals, King County is working to de-intensify existing shelters to allow people experiencing homelessness to practice social distancing and to reduce the chance of becoming sick.
