1. Kittitas County 5-Year Homelessness Plan 2025-2030

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Local & State Context and Background This five-year plan builds on and reinforcesthe goals set forth in the Comprehensive Plans of Kittitas County and its cities. Across all jurisdictions with current comprehensive plans, Ellensburg, Cle Elum, Roslyn, South Cle Elum and Kittitas County itself, there is strong alignment around several key priorities: expanding access to affordable housing, reducing homelessness through prevention and intervention, supporting vulnerable populations, and fostering coordinated service delivery. These shared goals provide a consistent planning foundation. Each ofthe five strategic goals outlined in this plan is explicitlytied to comprehensive plan policies, ensuring alignment not just in language, but in long-term community intent. Kittitas County's Current Homelessness Landscape ln 2024, the Point-in-Time (PlT) Count identified 91 individuals experiencing homelessness in Kittitas County. Approximately 65 were sheltered and 26 were unsheltered. The 2025 PIT Count found 26 individuals experiencing homelessness,Il of which were unsheltered. While the decrease is notable, year-over-year PIT counts should be interpreted with caution, especially in rural communities where visibility and access vary. A number of factors can affect the accuracy of the count, including number of volunteers conducting the count, camping ordinance enforcement, and weather. Ongoing tracking through By-Name Lists and coordinated outreach remains essential for understanding the true scope of local need. HMIS enrollments support the downward trend observed in Kittitas County's PIT counts, which dropped from 91 individuals in January 2O24to 26 in January 2025. While overall HMIS enrollments decreased slightly from 432 in FY2023 to 403 in FY2024, the share of individuals accessing prevention services grew notably. This shift suggests local strategies are not only reaching people earlier but effectively preventing homelessness before it occurs. While the data for SFY2025 was not finalized at the time of this report, these trends point to a positive impact of targeted investments in early intervention and housing-focused support. The chart below shows the breakdown of entries by project type. Klttitas County HMIS Enties by ProJect Type I Transitional Housing ! Permanent Supportive Housing ! Homelessness preventlon I Other Permanent Housing I Rapid Re-houslng I Emergency Shelter 2024 2023 Rapid Re'Housing Emergencl Shelter 2022 Source: Wqshington State Depqrtment of Commerce The challenges contributing to homelessness in Kittitas County mirror those seen statewide but take on a distinct form in this rural context. Housing costs have risen sharply overthe last several years, Between2OIT and 2023, the median gross rent in the county increased by nearly 50%, while household incomes remained below the state average. As of 2023, nearly one in five renters were spending more than 50% of their income on housing, making Rapid Re-Housing 42% Emergency Shelter M% Page | 7