July 21st General Membership Meeting

King County Regional Homelessness Authority’s (KCRHA) 5 Year Plan

The King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) has begun to develop a 5-Year Plan and it’s important that our members share their expertise and help inform this process that will shape services for our community. Recommendations, will guide the KCRHA’s work going forward including budget requests as well as any redesign and procurement of services.  The plan will be released in Fall 2022 and will outline core strategies, how the KCRHA does it’s work, and what it invests in. 

At our July meeting we had a lively and engaged discussion with Alexis Mercedes Rinck and Marshall Buxton of the KCRHA around what success looks like for programs, providers, and clients in a setting where there isn’t adequate housing resources. KCRHA shared how the Regional Action Framework and the National Innovation Survey report (from 2018 that focused on community strategies to end homelessness) will be incorporated into the 5 Year Plan, provided an overview about how the RHA would like to think about performance moving forward, and how the RHA plans to follow back up with the community to discuss how the final plan aligns with input or not (and why) from the community.

This facilitated a community conversation that focused on the following questions: 

  • How should we think about measuring the performance of particular programs? 
  • How can we think about what success looks like from your perspective as a service provider? 
  • How might we think about success for the clients you serve? 

KCRHA continues to hold community listening sessions revolving around different aspects and topics of the 5 year plan,

There are 7 components to the plan and several opportunities to participate. Learn more about each component and what to expect during the community engagement sessions. 

  1. Measurable Actions, Outcomes, and Goals 
  2. Sub-Regional Planning Activities
  3. Procurement Processes
  4. Terms and Conditions for Contracts
  5. Standards for Data Collection, Monitoring, and Evaluation of Systems & Program Performance
  6. Continuous Improvement 
  7. 6-Year Budget

We strongly encourage frontline providers and agency leaders to attend one of each session. Register now for one of the community engagement sessions. 

Community Events

Congresswoman Jayapal is holding two community events:

  • Extreme Heat and Wildfire Smoke Preparation Briefing/Q&A is on Tuesday, July 26 from 2:00-3:00 PM. Strategies, background, and resources will be shared by representatives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/National Weather Service (NWS), King County, Public Health – Seattle & King County, and the City of Seattle Office of Emergency Management.
  • SAVE THE DATE: Wednesday, August 10 at 5:30pm PT for a webinar to learn more about updates to the Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, guidance on how to navigate the new process, and an opportunity to ask questions about PSLF. The U.S. Department of Education recently announced an overhaul of PSLF designed to benefit millions of public service workers. In short, borrowers who were previously ineligible because they had the wrong loan, were making payments on the wrong payment plan, or were knocked off track due to processing errors can now receive credit toward forgiveness for those years worked in public service. As a result, teachers, nurses, public interest attorneys, social workers, first responders, servicemembers, and many others may be eligible for significant relief, but the deadline for action is October 31, 2022. Learn more here.