The Brief
- King County Executive Girmay Zahilay signed an executive order creating the “Breaking the Cycle Initiative,” a coordinated effort between housing, health, and legal systems to address homelessness, addiction, and incarceration.
- The order mandates opening 500 units of shelter and housing within 500 days by repurposing vacant county properties and exploring new dedicated revenue sources.
- All regional efforts will be tracked using specific performance metrics to identify service gaps and ensure meaningful progress in stabilizing vulnerable residents.
SEATTLE – King County Executive Girmay Zahilay on Tuesday signed an executive order taking aim at the connected crises of homelessness, addiction and incarceration.
The order establishes the Breaking the Cycle Initiative, which the County Executive’s Office says aims to expand affordable housing and shelters. Additionally, the order directs housing, health and legal systems to better coordinate, as well as for county offices to explore revenue for new houses.
Per the executive order, all of these endeavors will be measured with performance metrics to identify what is or isn’t working.…