Eastgate Parcel Picked For Bellevue Men's Shelter

BELLEVUE, WA - A local nonprofit trying to build a permanent men's homeless shelter in Bellevue has chosen a parcel in the Eastgate as its preferred location.

Congregations for the Homeless announced Wednesday that it will pursue the surplus King County parcel at 13620 Southeast Eastgate Way. The parcel is located between I-405, Seattle Humane, and the Factoria transfer station.

The preferred site is west of the Eastgate Health Center, where CFH had initially wanted to build a shelter. Local residents were opposed to that site, saying it was too close to Bellevue College and some homes in the area.

The site announced Wednesday also complies with new zoning codes the City Council passed over the summer. The ordinance creates a stringent, exhaustive review process for any homeless shelter, plus scores of zoning requirements. To maintain a permit to operate a shelter, a permit holder has hire security guards, and even gather personal data on homeless people, among other strictures.

“CFH reviewed over a dozen sites,” CFH Executive Director David Bowling said in a statement. “From that list, we evaluated seven of the sites against a robust set of 13 criteria to ensure a shelter that works for the wider community and effectively serves men experiencing homelessness."

CFH has been trying to build a permanent shelter for homeless men in Bellevue since 2014. Bowling said the new shelter might not open until 2022. The King County Council budgeted $2 million to put toward construction of the shelter.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that a shelter would have to do background checks on each client. CFH does check for sex offenses, but still serves anyone who has a sex offense on their record.

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