Mayor Katie Wilson of Seattle said all options are on the table after a forensic evaluation found $13 million in public funds are unaccounted for at the King County Regional Homelessness Authority.
According to the evaluation, the financial troubles do not end with the missing money.
A 43-page report outlines the findings of the investigation. It states in 2025, more cash was leaving the authority than coming in to the tune of more than $40 million.
The evaluation was ordered by the city and county in August in response to a series of financial issues. It covers the KCRHA from mid-2021 to mid-2025. Among the money mishandling it cites are $1.26 million in interest charges, $2.96 million paid to a staffing company and $6.4 million in unapproved overspending in 2025.
“I think we need to take this seriously,” Maritza Rivera of the Seattle City Council said. “We need to disband KCRHA.”
Rivera told KIRO 7 the only path forward is to dismantle the homelessness authority entirely and start over fresh.
“We still need to do the work, we still need to take a regional approach, but there just were too many issues with KCRHA,” she said.
Kelly Kinnison, the CEO of the homelessness authority, addressed some of the issues in a message to its governing board.
She wrote that she requested the evaluation and the situation had improved. She blamed the problems mostly on issues related to the creation of the authority.
She also stressed that the evaluation did not find any evidence of fraud or misuse of funds.
Rivera, though, told KIRO 7 the mistakes were too big and there is too much at stake.
“It’s disappointing,” she said. “It’s also, quite frankly, outrageous because, again, this is a lot of money.”
In a joint letter, Mayor Wilson and King County Executive Girmay Zahilay requested an immediate freeze of hiring and discretionary spending. The gave the authority 30 days to come up with a written corrective plan.
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