About the King County Housing Authority

A girl blows bubbles at Green Leaf Apartments in Kenmore

Green Leaf Apartments in Kenmore.

Since its establishment in 1939, the King County Housing Authority has played a key role in providing affordable housing options for the residents of King County, Washington. Through partnerships with local communities and nonprofit organizations, KCHA delivers affordable housing and related supportive services such as education, job training and social services to more than 40,000 local residents who earn less than the county median income. Our approach puts independence and self-sufficiency well within the reach of most families, usually within six years.

KCHA supports more than 17,000 households in housing dispersed among 23 suburban cities and the unincorporated areas of the county. King County – the 12th most populous county in the nation – has a population of 1.7 million and covers a geographic area of 2,130 square miles.

To learn more about KCHA, download a copy of our brochure or our most recent annual report:

KCHA: At a Glance (brochure) (pdf)
KCHA: At a Glance (brochure) - Narrative Only (html)

KCHA 2004 Annual Report (pdf)
KCHA 2004 Annual Report (html)

FY 2008 Audit of KCHA Financial Statements (pdf)

The Village at Overlake Station in Redmond

The Village at Overlake Station in Redmond.

KCHA Portfolio

KCHA owns and manages nearly 3,500 units of federally subsidized housing for families, the elderly and people living with disabilities and 4,500 units of "workforce" housing, financed through tax credits and/or tax-exempt bonds. An additional 8,200 households are assisted through the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program, which subsidizes families to rent housing on the private market. In partnership with local service agencies, KCHA provides about 130 units of emergency and transitional housing for homeless families and people with special needs. KCHA delivers housing repair and weatherization services to private low-income homeowners, mobile home owners, and landlords who rent to income-eligible tenants living in King County. The Authority also provides tax-exempt financing to other affordable housing developers.

Greenbridge in White Center

In 2003, the Housing Authority embarked on a new challenge: the creation of a mixed-income development and community-wide revitalization effort in White Center. The development, called Greenbridge, is ideally located near downtown Seattle and SeaTac Airport. The initiative is an important element in the Authority's overarching vision of providing a broad range of affordable housing opportunities scattered equitably across the county near employment opportunities and community-based services.

Youth use computers at the Boys & Girls Club at Spiritwood Manor in Bellevue

The Boys & Girls Club at Spiritwood Manor in Bellevue.

Independent Municipal Corporation

The Housing Authority is an independent municipal corporation established under Washington state law. A five-member volunteer Board of Commissioners appointed by the King County Executive and approved by the Metropolitan King County Council governs KCHA.

The Authority receives no operating funds from Washington state, King County or the region's suburban jurisdictions. Operating costs are covered by rents charged to tenants and direct support from the federal government.

High Performance

The Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has designated King County Housing Authority a "high performer" since it began evaluating housing authorities in 1992. KCHA earned a perfect score on HUD's Public Housing Management Assessment Program (PHMAP) for four consecutive years, from 1996 to 1999. In 2000 HUD began using the Public Housing Assessment System (PHAS) to evaluate housing authorities, rating their performance in four areas: financial condition, resident services, management operations and physical condition of the housing. KCHA's PHAS scores continue to be among the highest in the nation awarded to large public housing authorities.

Recently designated a Moving to Work (MTW) agency by HUD, KCHA is one of 26 housing authorities nationwide that has been provided with waivers from HUD program regulations to enable the Authority to redesign its federally-funded programs to respond to local conditions, streamline operations and better support the economic self-sufficiency of our residents.

FY 2010 MTW Annual Plan (pdf)

FY 2008 MTW Annual Report (pdf)

MTW Document Archive

Commitment to Sustainability

KCHA is committed to environmental sustainability. We are currently implementing an Authority-wide strategic plan to employ more environmentally appropriate approaches to purchasing, operations, construction, waste generation and energy and water utilization.

Executive Summary of the Sustainability Report (pdf)
Executive Summary of the Sustainability Report (html)


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