KCHA is a municipal corporation established in 1939 by the State of Washington to provide affordable housing and related services. KCHA's primary area of operations is King County outside of the cities of Seattle and Renton. KCHA also owns and manages a public housing complex in Olympia and administers 80 units of public housing under contract to the Sedro-Woolley Housing Authority.

Organization

KCHA has an annual consolidated budget (including tax credit partnerships) of approximately $137.6 million. Authority operations are directed from an Administrative Office and Section 8 office, both located in Tukwila. Area and site offices scattered throughout the county support field operations. KCHA has 309 full-time employees.

Housing Inventory

KCHA owns or controls 114 residential complexes with 8,354 units. KCHA's inventory can be divided into two primary categories: HUD-Subsidized Programs and Local Programs.

HUD-Subsidized Programs	62 Sites	3,436 Units
Public Housing (families)	31 Sites	1,252 Units
Public Housing (senior/disabled)	19 Sites	1,223 Units
Public Housing (permanent supportive)	1 Site	32 Units
Section 8 Properties	11 Sites	929 Units

Local Programs	52 Sites	5,009 Units
Tax Credit Partnerships	17 Sites	1,953 Units
Bond-Financed Housing	16 Sites	2,461 Units
Nonprofit Partnerships	11 Sites	136 Units
Miscellaneous	4 Sites	29 Units
Manufactured Housing	4 Sites	430 Units

Programs include both permanent and transitional housing for families, elderly households and "special needs" individuals.

Laurelwood Gardens in Federal Way

KCHA uses a mixture of in-house maintenance and management staff and private management firms to oversee these properties. Our asset base is valued at roughly $393 million. Approximately $14 million in capital improvements are scheduled each year.

Rental Assistance

KCHA also provides tenant-based rental assistance in the form of Housing Choice vouchers to almost 9,800 households living in privately owned housing. More than 2,500 vouchers are reserved for specific populations including disabled households and homeless families. KCHA contracts with approximately 3,200 local property owners under this program.

Resident Services

Head Start at Birch Creek Apartments

KCHA spends more than $4 million each year in support of resident services. Programs are provided both directly through the Authority's support service coordinators, who work with seniors and younger disabled households in the federally assisted housing programs, and through outside contracts with a wide range of nonprofit agencies.

Housing Repair and Weatherization

KCHA coordinates and administers approximately $5 million in low-income home repair and weatherization activities annually. Funding is provided by the federal government, various utility companies, the State of Washington, King County and the City of Bellevue. Approximately 900 privately owned multifamily, single family and mobile homes are upgraded each year.

Development Activities

KCHA has maintained an active pipeline of property acquisitions and new construction over the past decade. Projects are primarily funded by combining federal, state, and local assistance with tax-exempt bonds and/or Low Income Housing Tax Credits. Since 1990, KCHA has issued more than $350 million in housing bonds to fund development activities. A total of 20 of KCHA's projects have also utilized tax credits, with KCHA serving as sole general partner for the tax credit partnership.

Demographics

Public Housing

In January 2009, 2,432 households lived in KCHA public housing. Of these households, 33 percent are families; 41 percent are elderly; and 26 percent are disabled or live with a person with a disability.

Average incomes for these three household types are as follows:

Family	$15,167
Elderly	$10,441
Disabled	$10,064

More than 60 percent of families living in KCHA public housing receive some income from employment. Thirty-two percent of families receive income from TANF. Social Security provides income for 42 percent of elderly and disabled households; SSI provides income for 58 percent of elderly and disabled households.

Of current public housing households, 59 percent are white; 23 percent are black or African-American; 1 percent are Native American; 12 percent are Asian; 4 percent are Latino; and 1 percent are Pacific Islander.

Housing Choice (Section 8)

In January 2009, 9,786 households or 23,397 individuals lived in housing leased with Housing Choice (Section 8) vouchers. Of these households, 49 percent were families; 16 percent were elderly; and 35 percent were disabled or lived with a person with a disability.

Average incomes for these three household types were:

Family	$13,693
Elderly	$9,952
Disabled	$10,200

Nearly half (48 percent) of families in the Housing Choice program get income from employment. Thirty-nine percent of families receive income from TANF. Social Security provides income for 48 percent of elderly and disabled households; SSI provides income for 60 percent of elderly and disabled households.

Of current Housing Choice households, 49 percent are white; 37 percent are black or African-American; 2 percent are Native American; 6 percent are Asian; 5 percent are Latino; and 1 percent are Pacific Islander.

Key Facts

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