For Current Residents
If you live in affordable housing subsidized
and/or managed by the King County Housing Authority,
you may have questions about your program, including supportive services
that might be available. KCHA offers many housing options, including three mid-rise buildings – the new Nia Apartments in White Center, Northridge I in Shoreline and Plaza 17 in Auburn – that give residents the choice of living in a non-smoking environment.
The Housing Authority also is committed to providing Reasonable Accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities so that their living arrangements are, as a whole, comparable to that of other residents.
The Subsidized Housing section has information about Public Housing or other KCHA-managed
housing. The Housing Choice Voucher section has information for residents of Private
Housing subsidized through KCHA.
Subsidized Housing
Housing
Choice Vouchers (Section 8)
Social Services for Residents
KCHA spends more than $2 million each year in support of resident services. For more information about services available at your community and others, you can go to the Social Services section. The Housing Authority provides assistance directly, through support services coordinators who work with seniors and younger disabled households in KCHA mixed-population mid-rises, and through a wide range of nonprofit agencies with whom KCHA contracts. You can learn about social services provided at or near KCHA communities by consulting this list. The list is interactive, so you can search for specific programs.
Social Services for Residents
Links to Other Housing Resources and Services
You can find other useful links on this site with information about additional affordable housing resources, including links to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, nonprofit housing providers and other housing authorities.
Low-income individuals and families can learn about how obtain food assistance by going to the Web site for the Washington Basic Food Program. Applications for food assistance are available in Cambodian, English, Korean, Laotian, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Tigrigna, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.
Rent Reform
The King County Housing Authority started a review in fiscal year 2008 of its existing policies related to checking residents' income and calculating their rent for the Public Housing and Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher programs.
KCHA wants to make its current policies easier for residents to understand and more respectful of their privacy. The Housing Authority also wants to make its policies easier for KCHA staff to administer.
There will be two parts to this process:
- Part one : Simplify how rent is calculated for seniors and residents with disabilities on fixed incomes.
- Part two : For work-able adults and working families, improve policies related to checking income and calculating rent and encourage work and increased savings.
In the first part of the process, KCHA met with several groups of residents, including the Resident Advisory Council, and community organizations to talk about possible improvements to its rent policies. The Housing Authority also had a public hearing to gather more input from residents and community members. In April, KCHA approved these changes to its rent policies for seniors and residents with disabilities on fixed incomes, now known as the Easy Rent program.
The Easy Rent program will be rolled out over a 12-month period starting in November.
More Information about Easy Rent
In the second part, KCHA plans to continue engaging with residents and the community to develop a new rent policy that promotes family stability and self-sufficiency, while reducing the burdensome paperwork required to verify income and calculate rent.
We have just started the second part of Rent Reform and are seeking your input about the types of changes that could make it easier for residents to become self-sufficient.
More Information about Rent Reform for Families
Residents and community members are welcome to share written comments or questions about Rent Reform. If you want to share your thoughts or ask questions, please e-mail rentreform@kcha.org or mail your
comments to KCHA Rent Reform Initiative, Attn: Kristin Winkel, 600 Andover Park W., Tukwila, WA 98188.
Frequently Asked Questions about Rent Reform
Emergency Preparedness
World events remind us that disaster can strike at any time. You can limit the effects of a natural or man-made disaster on you and your family by preparing in simple ways described below. You can also always consult the American Red Cross.
The King County Housing Authority recommends that residents and their families prepare emergency information cards, with phone numbers of out-of-state relatives and emergency meeting places, and carry those cards with them at all times.
Details about emergency information cards
KCHA also cautions residents to have an emergency water supply on hand. To be safe, you should store at least a three-day supply for each family member (at least three gallons).
Learn how to purify water if necessary