Cold weather reinforces need for emergency shelter in FW
Published 10:01 am Thursday, March 19, 2026
Despite snowfall on Friday, March 13, and Saturday, March 14, Federal Way did not open a cold weather shelter, stating that although snow was present, the ground temperatures didn’t meet the threshold for opening an emergency shelter.
As the Mirror has previously reported, there is no overnight shelter for single adults in Federal Way who are experiencing homelessness, except when extreme weather triggers emergency measures.
Out of the two hotels purchased by King County to help those experiencing homelessness in Federal Way, one is open and one is not.
The recently opened Booker House (formerly an Extended Stay America hotel) on South 320th Street has already provided permanent supportive shelter to more than a dozen individuals who were previously homeless in Federal Way, but it does not provide emergency shelter.
The Federal Way Inn and Suites (formerly the Red Lion hotel) on South 348th Street was purchased by King County to solve this service gap, but challenges including meth remediation, repairs after water damage from a pipe burst and the necessary remodeling to transform a hotel into emergency shelter have made that process take longer than originally anticipated.
King County’s last estimate for residents was April, but “that’s not going to likely happen,” Community Development Director Keith Niven told the Mirror in late February.
Niven said after speaking with a building official, their guess is June 2026 at the earliest to complete the work on the rooms.
The Mirror last reported on the progress in September 2025, when Eloise Harris of King County said that the team is “moving with urgency,” but working through repairs and the permitting processes.
The Federal Way City Council has also been taking action on an idea to move the Federal Way Day Center operations to the former Red Lion location as well to make services more accessible to those who need them.
The Day Center is run by Catholic Community Services, which will also be the operator for the future emergency shelter. The Day Center provides laundry, hygiene, case management and other services during limited hours, but it is not a shelter. It is currently located about 2 miles away from the future emergency shelter location.
U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) announced on Jan. 23 that funding for this relocation project was approved as one of several Community Project Funding (CPF) requests. While the city requested $2.5 million, Smith was able to secure $250,000 in federal funds for the project, which would repurpose the former pool building to offer hygiene services, case management and other essential support.
Niven shared that city staff met with King County staff recently to see whether there is any interest from the county on the idea. With some staffing changes at the county, “this was the first some of them had heard that idea. They indicated they needed to allow for some conversations to occur before they could weigh in on this formally,” Niven said.
There was some concern about the entire project being made redundant due to the Tacoma Dome Link Extension project from Sound Transit, but Niven said the “last alignment that was shared with the city shows the track just missing the northwest corner of the building,” so that should be able to continue.
While the city works with local nonprofits and even faith communities to provide shelter during extreme cold events, the limits of this emergency infrastructure has been put to the test this year after a fire at the Pete Andersen Family Center, which has hosted the emergency shelter location in the past.
Recent cold weather
During two cold weather events this year, the Calvary Lutheran Church opened its doors to transform into an emergency shelter and take on that role.
In the second cold weather event a month ago, 46 overnight guests were served between the two nights of Feb. 18-19.
FUSION and Federal Way city staff worked together with Greater Federal Way Community Emergency Response Team (GFW CERT) volunteers to set up cots and manage the shelter space.
FUSION volunteers also served a hot dinner to 22 others that chose not to stay overnight. FUSION also provided cold weather gear like blankets, coats, and disposable hand warmers to several people, city spokesperson Ben Miller shared in an email.
“Together, our Community Development Team, FUSION, Cavalry Lutheran Church and CERT Volunteers once again did a tremendous job,” Miller said.
For those who are interested in learning how to help the community in emergency situations and support city response as part of the CERT volunteer group, the city’s free basic training is starting on April 15.
The GFW CERT training will run take place from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday evenings from April 15 through June 10 at City Hall.
The GFW CERT provides residents of the Greater Federal Way Community with disaster preparedness skills to protect themselves, their families, and their neighbors, and the skills and organizational structure to respond to the immediate needs of the community, supporting first responders in the event of an emergency or disaster.
To sign up, email or call Sharon Green at sharon.green@federalwaywa.gov or 253-835-2712.
