Plans are finally moving forward for two former hotels that King County purchased to help shelter homeless individuals in Federal Way.

Construction has begun on the hotel at 1400 S. 320th St. to prepare it for use as part of the Health Through Housing (HTH) Initiative by this summer.

With the updated timeline, residents will first be able to move in this summer under a temporary certificate of occupancy, then at the full capacity of 86 units in the fall of 2025.

The Federal Way City Council received this update March 18 along with an update on the former Red Lion property on South 348th Street that is being turned into an emergency overnight shelter. This shelter is now also scheduled to open this fall ahead of the cold weather.

Frances Nelson, HTH Section Manager, said the emergency shelter will have less capacity than originally intended, but this sacrifice will make sure it is in operation sooner and less expensive.

“We are reducing the scope on that building just to stay within budget,” Nelson told the council.

The plan is to open with 56 rooms with double occupancy, meaning the hotel will have the capacity to shelter 112 people, Nelson said.

The opening of the shelter has already been delayed by issues including meth remediation and extensive water damage from a burst pipe. In order to move the project forward as quickly as possible, the half of the building with the most water damage has been sealed off.

Comparing the two former hotels

The two properties will function quite differently. The HTH program is categorized as permanent supportive housing, which King County describes as “an evidence based approach to chronic homelessness that pairs affordable housing with supportive services like case management, transportation resources and health care services.” (Read this in-depth FAQ.)

Although the barriers to access this housing are low, residents will still need to be referred by an approved organization and go through an application process to evaluate whether they will be a good fit for the program.

Up to 65% of the 86 total apartments available will be for people with strong ties to Federal Way, according to the program.

The city council asked questions about resident code of conduct during the meeting, which the operator of the site, the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, shared in 2024 in the permitting paperwork.

The Urban League’s Operations Plan states that: “The Code of Conduct is legally incorporated into the lease agreements of residents at the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle Federal Way Permanent Housing. This incorporation means that adherence to these agreements is as binding as any other lease obligation. Violations of these rules can lead to legal and lease-related consequences, underlining their importance.”

This means that although residents have tenants’ rights, their lease is different from a typical apartment, as it includes built-in resources and responsibilities as part of the overall Health Through Housing program.

This conduct agreement submitted by the Urban League specifies “no loitering and disruptive behavior,” includes a “prohibition on illegal activities” and “expectations of harmony and respect.” Regular inspections are conducted by management to ensure housing policies are not violated.

Residents are not even allowed an open flame such as a candle or incense in their apartments, and microwaves and cooking devices are only available in common areas, according to the plan.

According to the Operations Plan, security personnel will be responsible for “managing and monitoring who enters and exits the facility,” which will include “verifying identification, issuing visitor badges, and ensuring that only authorized personnel have access to certain areas.”

The Health Through Housing program helps individuals who are classified as chronically homeless achieve “long-term housing stability and improve their health and well-being.” The program focuses on increasing their self-sufficiency, helping them find employment, medical care, sobriety support, mental health needs and more. Once stable, residents will also be expected to pay one-third of their income in rent.

The program will measure success by “the number of individuals moved from homelessness into stable housing and the percentage of those households who remain stably housed over time.”

The former Red Lion hotel will be a completely different structure and instead focus on emergency shelter, with shorter stays.

The exterior of the HTH building as it is transformed to be ready for occupants soon. Photo provided by King County