COVID-19 response and recovery funding
About the funding
King County received more than $2 billion in federal funding in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including $437 million in Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery (CLFR) funds through the American Rescue Plan.
CLFR funds in action
These videos give you an inside look at some of the important programs funded by King County’s COVID-19 response and recovery funding.
Behavioral health apprenticeship program
Supporting seniors, building community
Remote jury selection
King County Recovery Plan
Check out the latest King County Recovery Plan Annual Report to learn more about how King County is investing its CLFR funds to ensure an equitable recovery for everyone in our community.
2024 Recovery Plan Report
2023 Recovery Plan Report
2022 Recovery Plan Report
2021 Recovery Plan Report
CLFR investment highlights
Homelessness response - $97 million
To date, King County has allocated $97 million in CLFR funding toward homelessness interventions through programs including hotel/motel leases, COVID-19 shelter de-intensification, permanent supportive housing, behavioral health services, homeless outreach and shelter procurement, enhanced shelter, and sanitation.
Public health response - $68 million
King County’s public health response to COVID-19 continues to be robust and equitable, providing a local distinction as the “most vaccinated county” in Washington. In fact, King County has among the lowest rate of any county for case counts and deaths from COVID-19.
Equitable economic recovery - $60 million
King County structured its economic recovery funding to provide support to businesses, the creative economy, and the tourism sector, as well as workforce development programs.
Community resiliency - $56 million
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted every community in King County. While the full measure of the pandemic’s consequences on our communities is still emerging, there are clear deficits in community resources that need to be addressed, especially for communities of color, LGBTQ+ communities, people experiencing homelessness, and refugee/immigrant communities. The programs in the community resiliency portfolio are designed to address a range of impacts and provide additional funding for needed interventions in the community.
Jobs and Housing - $33 million
The Jobs and Housing program is designed to stabilize people’s lives by providing a steady place to live, an interim job, and access to support services and career navigation for up to one year, with the ultimate goal of transitioning each person to permanent housing and a permanent job. The aim of the program is to help people exit the homelessness system, particularly those communities who have been disproportionately impacted by homelessness.
County operations - $154 million
King County has utilized CLFR funding to make substantial modifications to operations to maintain services to the best extent possible. Addressing the legal system case backlog, refining hybrid work technology, and improving access to health and public information through language and disability access are focuses for pandemic recovery to improve service delivery for King County residents.
CLFR investments
Federal funding spending timeline
King County received its first emergency federal funding in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020 through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the CARES Act's Coronavirus Relief Funding (CFR). In March 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act authorized CLFR funds to support local response to and recovery from the COVID-19 public health emergency. King County anticipates spending the majority of CLFR funding by December 31, 2024. Learn more about King County's use of federal funding in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Notable projects
King County's Safestart Program is featured in Results for America's American Rescue Plan (ARP) Data and Evidence Dashboard, which identifies 110 notable projects that demonstrate how state and local leaders are using federal funds to deliver better results for residents.
Take a look at all of the model ARP projects included in the dashboard:
- 44 examples of state and local governments using ARP funds to develop their in-house data and evidence capacity
- 24 investments in evidence-based solutions that can serve as models for scaling what works
- 44 projects that will be evaluated by state and local governments to better understand their impact