King County homelessness authority CEO resigns amid financial failures

Dr. Kelly Kinnison, CEO of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA), has resigned.

Kinnison made the announcement Friday, according to a news release from KCRHA. She was hired as permanent CEO in 2024 following a national search and was the agency’s fifth CEO.

“I was asked to assess and rebuild a young organization that had significant challenges,” Kinnison stated. “I’m proud of what I’ve achieved, including surfacing structural issues in our finance department and contributing to the path forward for a more accountable homelessness response system.”

Kinnison helped stabilize the agency after leadership turnover and strengthened operations, according to the release.

The governing board’s co-chairs, King County Executive Girmay Zahilay and Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, will make leadership recommendations to the board.

“I want to thank Dr. Kinnison for her service to King County and wish her well on future endeavors,” Zahilay, co-chair of the governing board, said in a statement. “She took on a challenging job to lead coordination on our region’s most pressing issue amid a shifting federal landscape and structural issues within the authority.”

Zahilay said King County will continue to work closely with the City of Seattle, homeless service providers, and other partners to ensure a smooth transition.

Taxpayers face nearly $17M bill for King County homelessness agency

KCRHA has seen a wave of financial missteps. Seattle and King County taxpayers face a nearly $17 million bill to cover a funding shortfall at the agency.

“The $17 million unrecoverable balance is unacceptable,” Zahilay and Wilson said in a joint statement last month.

They pledged to address repayment while protecting critical homelessness services.

The city and county are still working out how to cover the balance after an independent review found a larger budget hole than previously estimated.

Officials had previously described roughly $13 million in financial concerns at KCRHA, including $8 million in unreconciled money, administrative overspending, and interest. The new findings changed both the amount and the explanation.

King County council member calls for dissolving KCRHA

King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn renewed his call to close KCRHA on “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio last month, arguing that Seattle and King County should take back responsibility for services and make elected leaders directly accountable for results.

Dunn described the regional agency as an unnecessary layer between voters and the officials responsible for addressing homelessness.

“It’s a failed experiment,” Dunn said. “Sometimes you get it wrong.”

However, Dunn’s stance isn’t new. He has advocated closing the agency for years.

“We’ve got to make it something that the county does, the city does,” he said. “Your elected leaders are directly responsible for the outcomes and the results.”

Kinnison’s resignation is effective Nov. 16.

Contributing: Aaron Granillo, KIRO Newsradio

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