Officials to convert wing of Seattle jail into shelter

SEATTLE (AP) – Seattle-area officials say they are planning to convert a wing of a downtown jail into a shelter for the homeless.

The Seattle Times reports King County Executive Dow Constantine announced Thursday that the county will transform the Seattle jail’s west wing, which previously housed minimum-security inmates.

The wing of the King County Correctional Facility was shut down in 2012 and is currently being used for classrooms, staff offices and training spaces.

The shelter will have 125 to 150 beds, and the renovation is expected to cost about $2 million. Annual operating costs are expected to be about $2 million.

King County has not yet chosen a service provider to manage the facility.

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Information from: The Seattle Times, http://www.seattletimes.com