After its creation with much fanfare a mere 7 years ago, the Regional Homelessness Authority (“RHA”) could be dismantled if Seattle City Councilmember Maritza Rivera and King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski have their way. “Cats get nine lives . . . This organization has had 10 — one more than it should have,” Councilmember Dembowski declared.
The push to eliminate the agency was triggered by a recent audit that found the $200 million RHA to be $48 million in debt, with another $8 million in spending without meaningful documentation. The audit also questioned $4 million in administrative expenses.
Much of the debt appears to flow from the RHA’s dubious accounting system. The agency makes payments to housing developers but often delays invoicing for reimbursement by as much as 16 months. The audit also found that agency staffers were approving contracts even though they did not have the authority to do so.
Perhaps tellingly, both Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and King County Executive Girmay Zahilay have announced their own plans to build emergency shelter for the homeless. Neither Wilson nor Zahilay have weighed in on the fate of the RHA.
The RHA has had its skeptics over the years. Three years ago, in his column entitled “What’s the Point of the Regional Homelessness Authority?”, Danny Westneat observed:
“Something’s just off about the whole enterprise . . . There’s a chance to reset its work and direction. I’m also wondering: Should we keep this agency at all?”
With Seattle and King County providing 99.85% of the RHA funding, the agency has fallen far short of being a “regional” organization, as most suburban cities have refused to join.
