The hard work and dedication of Kirkland resident and community leader Karina O’Malley was recognized recently by Metropolitan King County Council vice chair, Claudia Balducci.

O’Malley was awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Medal of Distinguished Service for her years of work on behalf of those in our community experiencing homelessness.

O’Malley has been active in the community for several years. She supported the founding of the Sophia Way, the Lake Washington United Methodist Church Safe Parking program and the Eastside emergency shelter for women and families.

The city of Kirkland is partnering with The Sophia Way and Catholic Community Services to address homelessness by building a shelter in Kirkland for women and families experiencing homelessness.

Just this week, the city completed the purchase of the land where the shelter will be sited, which is located at 11920 NE 80th Street on a portion of the property occupied by Salt House Church. The partnership hopes to break ground on the shelter in 2019 once all financing and design work is completed. Read about the memorandum of understanding in a memo to the City Council.