Expanding shelter capacity is one of the most effective strategies to bring people indoors and respond to Seattle’s homelessness crisis. Mayor Katie Wilson recently announced a shelter action plan that commits to adding 960 beds over 2026 and 2027, serving approximately 1,760 people annually.
HSD is leading the City’s work to put much of that plan into action. Our role includes developing and funding new shelter capacity, contracting with organizations to operate shelters and provide services, coordinating outreach through the Unified Care Team, and investing in programs that help people remain housed. We also work across City departments and with community partners to connect people experiencing homelessness to shelter, services, and pathways to permanent housing.
How HSD is expanding shelter
Building on work already underway, Mayor Wilson’s plan will increase capacity by nearly 1,000 beds by the end of 2027, compared to the start of 2026.
Read the action plan executive summary.
HSD is responsible for moving many of these investments from planning to operation. That includes identifying service needs, working with providers to develop programs, contracting for shelter and services, and monitoring programs once they open. The plan invests in new shelter, speeds up projects already in the pipeline, and preserves existing capacity that could otherwise be lost.
HSD invests in shelters that fall under four service types based on the needs of the people they serve:
- Essential – Provides overnight and basic services. Some programs are client-operated.
- Enhanced – Provides shelter along with case management and housing navigation to help people move toward permanent housing.
- Enriched – Adds partnerships and providers offering services such as medical and behavioral health care, legal services, and childcare based on client needs.
- Complex – Serves people with the highest needs through intensive case management and on-site services that may include behavioral health, medical care, substance use treatment, and legal assistance.
Investing in shelter and services people need
A shelter bed is only one part of helping someone move out of homelessness. HSD works with providers to pair shelter with the level of support the person needs. Several new programs will provide or connect residents to specialized behavioral health, medical care, substance-use treatment, and legal services.
The 2026 King County Point-in-Time Count (PIT) found that of the unsheltered homeless population, 41% reported a substance use disorder and 31% reported serious mental illness. These findings reinforce the need for shelter options designed for people with complex behavioral health and other needs.
HSD also leads the Unified Care Team, coordinating with other City departments and community partners to reach people living unsheltered to connect them to shelter and services. The plan builds on lessons from the Streets-to-Housing pilot in Pioneer Square and similar work in Ballard to help people access support more quickly.
Helping people stay housed
HSD’s role does not begin when someone enters homelessness. Preventing homelessness is also a critical part of our work,
Eviction filings have risen sharply since the pandemic, reaching record-high levels in each of the past two years in King County, while homelessness also increased 9% from 2024 to 2026 according to the 2026 PIT. Research shows that rental assistance is a proven and cost-effective way to prevent homelessness and reduce the need for costly emergency services later.
Mayor Wilson’s proposed budget includes $11.2 million in 2027 for homelessness prevention, with a goal of helping more than 2,000 at-risk households remain housed. Through HSD, these investments will support rental assistance, case management, legal services for households facing active eviction, and a new centralized application process to make it easier for residents to access help.
Together, these efforts reflect HSD’s role across the full continuum-–from helping people remain housed to connecting people living outside to shelter to providing services and housing navigation that can help them move toward stability.