Summary 

Executive Girmay Zahilay announced a new Executive Order to boost affordable housing and shelter options throughout the region and better integrate behavioral health services to confront cycles of homelessness, addiction, and incarceration. 

Story 

Today, Executive Girmay Zahilay signed an Executive Order to address the interconnected crises of homelessness, substance use disorder, untreated behavioral health needs, and repeated involvement in the criminal legal system impacting the health and safety of communities throughout King County. 

The order establishes the Breaking the Cycle Initiative focused on expanding affordable housing and shelter opportunities throughout the region; improving coordination between housing, health, and criminal legal systems for better results; exploring dedicated revenue sources for the development of new affordable housing; and integrating data and performance metrics to identify gaps and measure success. 

 “We need to end the cycle of crisis that sends vulnerable neighbors repeatedly through emergency rooms, jails, shelters, and back onto the streets without finding stability or recovery,” said Executive Zahilay. “This Executive Order will take concrete steps to align partners, actions, and funding across the continuum to help more people rebuild their lives and create healthier, safer communities across King County.” 

Actions in the order were directly informed by final recommendations from Executive Zahilay’s transition team, which included a diverse coalition of local elected officials and leaders in housing, human services, labor, philanthropy, and more.  

The order will: 

• Open 500 units of shelter and housing in 500 days: The Executive’s Office will work with the Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) and the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) to quickly fund, site, and develop 500 new units of emergency shelter, permanent supportive housing, and subsidized affordable housing. 500 units is not the final goal, but a tangible start to show how King County is acting with urgency to address the current shortage of available shelter and affordable housing.  

• Activate underutilized county-owned properties: The Department of Executive Services will create a comprehensive inventory of vacant or underutilized county-owned property that could be used for emergency shelter or other housing. Once properties are identified, the county will work closely with city partners, KCRHA, and others to seek investments for the siting, operations and maintenance of emergency shelter units.   

• Integrate data and performance metrics:  The order will direct King County departments to assess what data can be utilized across housing, health, and crisis response systems to identify where individuals experience gaps in services. The order also directs the use of data to integrate performance-based metrics and drive investments into what is working.  

• Improve service delivery and coordination across systems: The order will stand up a “Breaking the Cycle” workgroup with leaders from the County’s housing, health, and criminal legal system as well as community-based partners to recommend evidence-based policy and funding solutions and improve coordination between systems. 

• Explore a new dedicated revenue source for housing: Now more than ever, the county needs to find new revenue to address the lack of affordable housing which is exacerbating displacement and homelessness. The Executive Office will convene a workgroup made up of housing, labor, philanthropy, labor, private sector, and government partners to explore a dedicated revenue source to support the building, siting, preservation, maintenance, and operations of emergency shelter and affordable housing in King County. 

The order was announced at Chief Seattle Club’s Sweetgrass Flats, which opened in 2025 and provides 84-units of permanent supportive housing. The property received capital funding through the county’s Housing Finance Program and operating funding through the Health through Housing initiative.  

Councilmember Rod Dembowski, King County Council District 1 

“To break the cycles identified by Executive Zahilay, we have to fix the systems that perpetuate them. Let’s take a hard look at lessons learned over the last decade about what works and what hasn’t, and make the changes we need to in order to see meaningful progress toward healing and housing our vulnerable neighbors.” 

Councilmember Rhonda Lewis, King County Council District 2 

“Residents in District 2 aren't asking which department is responsible — they're asking why nothing seems to change. Breaking the Cycle is an honest answer. By treating homelessness, behavioral health, and public safety as the interconnected challenges they are, pairing housing with real wraparound support, and demanding accountability for results, this initiative reflects exactly what coordinated government action should look like. I'm proud to support it." 

Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, King County Council District 8 

"You can’t have stability, health, or healing without the basic necessity of a place to call home—and too many across our county are facing just that reality. Today’s Executive Order sets up King County and our partners to act, collaborate, and identify tools at our disposal to create the housing and shelter our communities need. Breaking cycles means building the supports and structures that lead to lasting stability. I commend Executive Zahilay for his leadership and vision to initiate this process." 

Dominique Alex, CEO, Mary's Place 

"Homelessness is not inevitable, and neither is the cycle that can trap people in crisis. When housing, health, and human services work together, people don't just survive. They stabilize. They recover. They thrive. I was honored to serve on Executive Zahilay's transition team and to see those discussions become action. This Executive Order builds the connective tissue our region needs, and when all of us, government, providers, and community, stay connected and committed, this is solvable."