Here are two opportunities for our community to engage with the city on homelessness.
1. The City of Kirkland has offered to come to Lakeview Elementary to give a presentation on their work on Permanent Supportive Housing and answer questions from the Lakeview community. Come learn about the project taking place at the building previously occupied by La Quinta in the Lakeview/Houghton Neighborhoods. February 20 from 7-8pm at Lakeview Elementary School Library.
2. If you are interested in learning about how the City of Kirkland is responding to homelessness today or want to help inform how the City responds in the future, please join us at one of two community forums kicking off a comprehensive community engagement process on a new Homelessness Continuum of Care Action Plan. City Community Forum on February 24 and 26 from 5 – 7 pm on a new Homelessness Continuum of Care Action Plan. More details below.
Community Forum on a new Homelessness Continuum of Care Action Plan
Over the past five years, Kirkland community members have submitted more than 300 reports of individuals experiencing homelessness in Kirkland. Additionally, the City’s Homeless Outreach Coordinator has contacted 160 unhoused or at-risk residents in the last 18 months as part of the City’s person-centered approach to responding to homelessness. These trends suggest that homelessness is not only present in Kirkland but is likely growing.
If you are interested in learning about how the City of Kirkland is responding to homelessness today or want to help inform how the City responds in the future, please join us at one of two community forums kicking off a comprehensive community engagement process on a new Homelessness Continuum of Care Action Plan.
“Local government is the first place people turn to respond to the growing crisis of homelessness,” said Kirkland Mayor Kelli Curtis. “Homelessness is a complicated issue with no easy answers, and we need to come together as a compassionate community to explore this complex topic together. Please help us make sure both our current response and any future plans balance the needs of all our residents—including our most vulnerable—to sustain the safe, welcoming, and vibrant community we all love."
The community forums will be held February 24 and 26 from 5 – 7 p.m. The meetings are identical, offering two date options for interested community members. Because seats are limited, community members may register for either session, but not both.
The events will take place at Lake Washington Institute of Technology Campus in Auditorium W-401 in the West Building. For a campus map, visit: https://www.lwtech.edu/campus-services/facilities/maps.aspx.
The community forums will include a brief presentation by City staff on homelessness in Kirkland and how the City currently responds. Following that presentation, most of the forum will consist of facilitated, small group discussions allowing participants the opportunity to learn and discuss homelessness alongside City Councilmembers, City staff, and fellow community members, as well as provide feedback on how the City’s response to homelessness might evolve to changing conditions.
Registration is available at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/community-forums-on-homelessness-in-kirkland-tickets-1234964936369
For more information about the City’s response to homelessness in Kirkland, visit: https://www.kirklandwa.gov/Government/City-Managers-Office/Homelessness
