The Eastside women's and men's winter shelters in Bellevue have received $50,000 each in additional funding from King County to expand capacity.
The emergency funding will allow both shelters to remain open further into spring.
King County announced Feb. 8, 2016, that it will provide $10 million in funding to confront homelessness and expand access to affordable housing.
"This is great news. Anything we can do to support those experiencing homelessness is appreciated,” said Emily Leslie, City of Bellevue Parks & Community Services human services manager. "We’re grateful to King County for their support — and to the cities of Kirkland, Issaquah and Redmond in joining with Bellevue to support all of these programs."
The additional funds will allow the emergency winter shelter for single women to remain open until April instead of closing in February. The women's shelter opened on Jan. 20 with emergency funding from the cities of Bellevue, Issaquah, Kirkland and Redmond after the combined women and family winter shelter in Bellevue reached capacity. The Sophia Way and Catholic Community Services operate the women's shelter.
The men's overnight emergency shelter, originally scheduled to close April 10, will now remain open an additional 20 nights through the end of April. Operated by Congregations for the Homeless, the shelter serves 100.
The only homeless shelter for young adults, ages 18 through 24, on the Eastside, located in Redmond, will receive $40,000 from King County to provide additional beds. The 20-bed shelter, run by Friends of Youth, is open 365 nights a year and also receives funding from the cities of Bellevue, Issaquah, Kirkland and Redmond.
King County issued a request for proposals in December, and human services agencies applied for the awards. The Eastside shelters will be primarily funded by fees collected from county real-estate transactions.