Summary

Salvation Army will operate shelter, now set to open tomorrow

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The date for the opening of a homeless shelter in the King County Administration Building has been moved up to Tuesday, October 2, to accommodate those affected by the closure of other shelter space.

In collaboration with the Salvation Army, the shelter on the ground floor of the Administration Building at 500 Fourth Ave. in downtown Seattle will open tomorrow, instead of November 1 as had been scheduled.

"We've operated a cold-weather shelter in the Administration Building for years, so this is an easy decision for us to open our shelter a little earlier," said Kathy Brown, director of the King County Facilities Management Division.

"Between the shelters funded by King County and by the City of Seattle, by this time tomorrow we will have nearly 200 beds available for those who want them," said Jackie MacLean, director of the King County Department of Community and Human Services. "I want to thank the Salvation Army and YWCA for mobilizing quickly today to prepare shelters earlier than expected."

The Administration Building shelter will serve 50 men each night through April 15, 2013. Staff from the Salvation Army and King County will supervise the shelter, which will be open from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. The nightly line up for the shelter will take place in City Hall Park, across Fourth Avenue just south of the King County Courthouse.

The King County Women's Winter Response Shelter will also open on Tuesday. It will be operated by the YWCA Angeline's Center for Homeless Women. Capacity is 40 women per night. The Women's Referral Center is located at 2030 Third Ave. in the Belltown neighborhood of downtown Seattle. Women can stop by and register nightly between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. After 9 p.m., women may drop-in or call 206-436-8650 to inquire about shelter space availability.

Also today, the City of Seattle is opening its own cold-weather homeless shelters as previously scheduled. A shelter at Seattle City Hall with room for 75 men and women will be open nightly from 8:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. through March 31, 2013. The Frye Hotel at Third Avenue and Yesler Way will host a 25-bed women's shelter nightly from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. through March 31, 2013. For more information about these shelters, contact the City of Seattle at 206-684-0231.

For more information about King County's cold-weather shelter operations, contact Janice Hougen, housing planner in the King County Department of Community and Human Services, at 206-263-9089.