The trend is clear: More and more people in our communities—locally and across the nation—face housing instability as housing shortages continue, and housing costs grow faster than what people can afford. Keep King County Housed (KKCH), a King County rent assistance and eviction prevention program that launched in July 2023, offers support for renters who need help covering past-due rent and/or have an active eviction notice. Since program launch, KKCH has served over 1,030 households with an average of $7,290 in rent assistance.
The Department of Community and Human Services Adult Services Division partnered withUnited Way of King Countyto administer KKCH in partnership with six community-based organizations. KKCH is an ongoing program supported by Washington State Department of Commerce. The state investment in KKCH comes from document recording fees and the amount of available funds will vary per year.
Program background
Government, society, and philanthropy all play a role to keep people safely housed and welcome neighbors back inside. King County’s Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance Program (EPRAP) distributed nearly $400 million in federal funding, but this was always a short-term solution to the acute need of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Keep King County Housed was informed by EPRAP. During the COVID-19 pandemic many in King County unexpectedly lost employment and were unable to pay rent. EPRAP was launched to help thousands of King County community members at risk of homelessness. As federal EPRAP funding was winding down, and has now ended, King County created KKCH to continue supporting vulnerable and very low-income households who are behind in rent payments or facing eviction due to nonpayment of rent.
Program data dashboard
You can learn more about this program through the data dashboard that is now live! Information on KKCH progress to date is now easily available in an interactive dashboard. The data dashboard, which will be updated monthly, shares program information, household demographics, and geographic reach of program services.
Data shared on the dashboard includes:
- As of May 31, 2024, $8,451,699 has been distributed to help vulnerable and very low-income households in King County who are behind in rent payments or facing eviction due to nonpayment of rent.
- Due to longstanding divestment and institutional racism, Black, Indigenous, and other people of color disproportionately experience housing instability. The overrepresentation of BIPOC communities in the program is a result of these policies, leading to historical and current inequities.
- On average, approved households receive rent payments within about a month of being selected from the waitlist and completing the application. Households receive an average of six months of rent assistance.
- The program is reaching households in areas of high housing instability.
Frequently Asked Questions about Keep King County Housed
What are the steps for receiving rent assistance through Keep King County Housed?
Download Keep King County Housed Steps to Rent Assistance graphicDownload
How do I apply for rent assistance?
If you live in King County and are behind in rent, fill out United Way’sClient Intake Form.
After submitting a client intake form, eligible households will be added to a program waitlist. Eligible households will be selected at random and asked to complete a formal application for assistance.
Who is eligible for rent assistance?
Keep King County Housed eligibility requirements include:
- Current address in King County, WA
- Household MUST reside and owe back rent at their current address
- Household income doesn’t exceed 80% of Area Median Income (AMI)
- Landlord must be willing to participate in the program
How many months of assistance am I eligible to receive?
The amount of assistance a household could receive is determined by the amount of past due rent owed and could include up to 2 months of future rent, if eligible. As of May 2024, the average rent assistance per household is $7,290.
Is there a waitlist for Keep King County Housed?
Yes. Due to high levels of demand for the program, households who apply for Keep King County Housed are placed on a waitlist. The program uses a tiered prioritization system, where households are randomly selected from the highest tier available on the waitlist. Households must meet at least one of the listed criteria to be placed in that tier.
Criteria for prioritization tiers:
The prioritization tiers may be changing as the next year of KKCH starts on July 1, 2024. The updated tiers will be shared on the KKCH website when they are available.
What information do you need from my landlord/property manager?
Your landlord/property manager will need to provide a lease, written documentation of the charges and payments to your rental account (rent ledger) and W-9 for payment processing. Other documentation may be required as needed. This will be resolved by the case manager processing your assistance.
How will I know if I am chosen to receive assistance?
You will be contacted by a United Way case manager if you are selected to complete a rental assistance application. Monitor the email address and phone number you provided on your Client Intake Form; check your spam/junk folders.
If selected, you will receive two emails with the subjects:
- “Selected to Apply: Rental Assistance Program”
- “Online Connect Access”
Can I check the status of my Client Intake Form?
You can check the status of your Client Intake Form here.
Do I have to pay this rent assistance back? Is it a loan?
No, rental assistance funds provided through Keep King County Housed are funded by the Washington State government as a grant. They are not a loan and do not have to be paid back.
My landlord said they are going to evict me. What should I do?
United Way has partnered with the Housing Justice Project to provide free legal assistance and interpreters to low-income renters facing eviction.
Please call the Housing Justice Project at (206) 580-0762 right away if you are served with an eviction lawsuit or summons.
For more information about the eviction process: https://tenantsunion.org/rights/eviction-process
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For FAQs for landlords and property managers and for more information about Keep King County Housed visit: www.uwkc.org/renthelp
