Environmental health resources for homeless service providers

King County’s Environmental Health Services Division works with local, regional, and national partners to improve quality of life and dignity for people experiencing homelessness.

We support homeless service providers with environmental health consultations such as severe-weather response and climate change planning. We also support providers by staying up-to-date on local and national trends, supporting policies at state and local levels, and advocating for increased access to water, sanitation, and hygiene.

Request an environmental health assessment

Our environmental health experts can visit your facility and give you tips and suggestions for making it safer and healthier for staff, guests, and residents. Fill out our technical assistance request form for the services listed below.

Services provided

• Environmental health assessments
• Pre-opening site visits and plan review for new sites
• Trainings (rodents and pests, sanitation, hygiene, sharps, food safety, indoor air, safer cleaning and disinfection, hazardous and solid waste management)
• Ventilation assessments
• Donated Food Distributing Organization support. Learn more on our DFDO webpage.

Resources and guides

Cleaning and sanitation

• Sanitation & Hygiene Guide for homeless services providers: (9.7 MB)
  Tips on reducing the spread of diseases, preventing foodborne illnesses and maintaining safe and sanitary spaces.
  • 疾病預防阻止疾病傳播。保護自己與他人。 (中國傳統的 – Chinese, Traditional, 5.9 MB)
  • Остановите распространение заболеваний. Защитите себя и других (Русский – Russian, 5.7 MB)
  • Jooji cudur inuu faafo. Ilaali naftaada iyo tan dadka kaleba (Af Soomaali – Somali, 5.6 MB)
  • Evita la propagación de enfermedades. Protégete y protege a los demás (Español – Spanish, 5.4 MB)
  • Ngăn chặn sự lây lan dịch bệnh. Bảo vệ bản thân và những người khác (Tiếng Việt – Vietnamese, 5.7 MB)

• Safer Cleaning, Sanitizing and Disinfecting: (1.2 MB)
  A guide to effective and less-toxic cleaning and disinfectant practices
  • 更安全的清潔、殺菌和消毒 (中國傳統的 – Chinese, Traditional, 992 KB)
  • Безопасная очистка, санитарная обработка и дезинфекция поверхностей (Русский – Russian, 869 KB)
  • Nadiifin, Fayadhowrida & Jeermis-reebis Ammaan leh (Af Soomaali – Somali, 1.3 MB)
  • Limpieza, esterilización y desinfección más seguras (Español – Spanish, 976 KB)
  • Cάch Rửa Sạch, Diệt Trùng, và Khử Trùng An Toàn Hơn (Tiếng Việt – Vietnamese, 1.5 MB)

• How to set up hygiene stations and drinking water facilities for people living unhoused (420 KB)

• How and when to disinfect surfaces (370 KB)

• Printable labels for cleaning chemicals – (Bleach Disinfectant, Bleach Sanitizer. Disinfectant Solution, 197 KB). Labels you can print and place on cleaning bottles to identify what they are and how to use them safely.

• Cleaning to Kill Hepatitis A (803 KB): How to clean to kill Hepatitis A germs

• Stop Germs, Stay Healthy materials

Ventilation and air quality

• Improving Indoor Air: Information on maintaining healthy indoor air
• Video: How to use your HEPA air purifier provided by Public Health - Seattle & King County
  If you received a HEPA air cleaner from Public Health, this video details how to use it
• Setting up an air purifier (822 Kb): A poster with instructions to set up an air cleaner
• Keep air purifiers on (574 Kb): Print and post this flyer near your air cleaner to remind people to keep it turned on
• Printable label for HEPA air purifiers (204 Kb): print this label and fill it out every time you install/replace the filters in your air cleaner. Tape it to your cleaner
• Indoor Air Quality Survey: Help us learn how you're using the air cleaners we've provided and what challenges you've faced
• Wildfire smoke during COVID-19: For Homeless service providers and meal programs (204 Kb):
  Information on reducing COVID-19 transmission during wildfire smoke events

Environment and health

• Rats and Mice: Guidance for people living outdoors or homeless (463 Kb): Ways to keep rats and mice away from your living space, ways to remove them, and when to seek medical care.
• Planning tool for severe weather/emergency sheltering during COVID-19 (431 Kb): Guide for local agencies and jurisdictions who are planning short-term severe weather shelters during the COVID-19 pandemic.