The King County Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to significantly strengthen oversight of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) and has initiated a formal, fact-based process to determine the agency's future.

The motion, sponsored by Councilmembers Jorge L. Barón, Steffanie Fain, and Rod Dembowski, comes in the wake of a forensic evaluation that uncovered "patterns of financial mismanagement and inadequate internal controls" within the KCRHA. The Council’s action seeks to stabilize the system's financial condition before making any permanent structural changes.

A Roadmap for Accountability

The newly adopted motion requires the King County Executive to deliver a preliminary briefing in June, followed by a comprehensive report by August 1, 2026. This report must detail:

• Corrective actions taken in response to the forensic audit.
• Solutions for administrative funding shortfalls.
• A "detailed decision framework" including performance metrics and benchmarks to help the Council decide whether to continue, amend, or terminate the County’s participation in the KCRHA.

Leaders Demand "Meaningful Change"

In a joint statement, Councilmembers Barón, Fain, and Dembowski emphasized that the audit findings were too serious to ignore. “Gaps in financial oversight and internal controls point to the need for meaningful change to ensure we are effectively delivering shelter and services to the people who need them,” the members stated.

While acknowledging that the original goal of the KCRHA—regional coordination—remains "critical," the sponsors insisted on an "honest assessment of what is working [and] what is not" to ensure the system actually delivers results. They further noted that their top priorities remain continuity of services and protecting "critical federal funding" for providers.

Dembowski Calls for Withdrawal

While the joint statement focused on evaluation, Councilmember Rod Dembowski issued a more pointed critique of the Authority’s track record.

“The region’s leaders and service providers have increasingly acknowledged that the Regional Homelessness Authority has failed to make any progress and should be shut down,” Dembowski said. He highlighted that since the agency's inception, the number of people living unsheltered has "nearly doubled".

Dembowski expressed urgent concern regarding the "serious risk to King County’s budget, investment pool, and taxpayers," arguing that the County should exercise its right to withdraw from the interlocal agreement "as soon as practicable". He concluded, “Both the taxpayers and those living unsheltered on our streets deserve better. We should waste no more time – and risk no more public dollars – in fixing this”.

Protecting the Safety Net

Despite the potential for a total shutdown or major restructuring, the Council is moving cautiously to avoid disrupting the region's safety net. The motion mandates an analysis of transition risks, specifically focusing on the transfer of contracts, provider payment continuity, and the preservation of federal Continuum of Care funding.

The Council will use the findings of the August 2026 report to inform potential action on an existing motion that would formally end the interlocal agreement with the KCRHA.