King County promised to house 1,600 homeless people by the end of 2022. It fell significantly short but is trying to finally reach the goal years later.

King County’s effort to house homeless people in hotels it purchased during the pandemic is approaching its original goal more than two years late.

The county has now opened more than 1,000 units of housing for homeless people, with 300 more set to open by the end of the year. The Health Through Housing program is funded by a 0.1% county sales tax that raises about $70 million per year.

“This is the largest scale program that the county has ever been able to deploy, especially in this quick succession,” said Kelly Rider, director of the King County Department of Community & Human Services.