Renton shelter to receive county funding thanks to Upthegrove

November 25, 2014

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King County’s annual budget totals $4.5 billion to provide essential regional services like Metro buses, regional courts and jails, building inspections and county-wide public health. The 2015 budget also has funding for shelter services for women and children in Renton thanks to Metropolitan King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove.

“The Council spent two months examining every county agency to find ways to balance the budget and cut spending. We had to make some tough decisions, but in the end, we had to balance the budget,” Upthegrove said. “For me, this new funding for Renton’s REACH Center of Hope was one of the bright spots in this year’s budget.”

The REACH Center of Hope will receive $5,000 from King County in 2015 for shelter services and capital investments. Located at Renton City Hall, the center provides safe places for women and children to stay during the day and to work on transitioning into stable housing.

“Compared to the entire county budget, this is not a lot of money,” Upthegrove said. “However, this funding will make a huge difference for the center and the homeless mothers and children it serves daily.”

The REACH Center of Hope is a day center for homeless women and children. The Center of Hope partners with a number of agencies to ensure that clients can transition from homelessness to stability.

“Thank you to Councilmember Upthegrove for supporting our community’s most vulnerable women and children,” said Rev. Dr. Linda Smith, Director of REACH Center of Hope. “With these funds we can help women and children transition more quickly from being homeless to more long term sustainable housing.”