Kitsap Community Resources: An avid housing collaborator for those unsheltered until housed

Kitsap Community Resources (KCR) celebrated the grand opening of šəqusəbali Affordable Housing (pronounced ‘shuhck-us-uhb-ali) in December 2025. The Bremerton property provides nine new two- and three-bedroom units for unhoused families with dependent children.

Named by the local Suquamish Tribe, šəqusəbali means “a place to keep your head up.” It is one of six KCR properties funded by the state Housing Trust Fund, resulting in 34 total affordable units in Kitsap County communities.

While KCR became a direct housing provider in 1993, the organization has been advocating on behalf of low-resourced community members since 1965 as Kitsap Community Action Program. Operating for so many years means KCR has had the opportunity to build a system of countywide support.

“Tight-knit collaboration is key”, says Housing Director Thomas Delacour-Paolino. “We recognize that there are cracks, really working to minimize falling through the cracks.”

Kitsap Community Resources is a member of Kitsap Housing and Homelessness Coalition, which creates a resource guide relevant to the area. KCR was also one of the founders of the Kitsap County Affordable Housing Consortium. It creates formalized collaboration and learning space with other local service organizations. Additionally, KCR operates the Housing Solutions Center that acts as a coordinated entry system to support unhoused community members as they find shelter, transitional housing, and eventually permanent housing and affordable homeownership.

Collaboration often comes at the crux of pragmatism and compassion. One such instance of collaboration is with Kitsap Rescue Mission, which shelters some of Kitsap’s most vulnerable individuals. KCR utilizes their outreach team to ensure that unsheltered clients without cellphones can show up for appointments and referrals.

Delacour-Paolino sits on the South Kitsap Truancy Board. Its collaboration with KCR supports youth experiencing homelessness, who are more likely to be absent from school than housed peers.

A powerful example of collaboration is KCR’s partnership with Kitsap Immigrant Assistance Center (KIAC) as it ensures resources reach those who need them most. KCR provides the funding for rental assistance, while KIAC handles the outreach and distribution of rental assistance, leveraging their deep trust and relevance within Kitsap County’s immigrant communities.

Beyond housing, KCR collaborates with KIAC to offer free tax preparation and an eight-week Business Education Support & Training (BE$T) program. The program has been successfully offered in Spanish for the past year. Providing the Spanish-speaking community with direct access to business education not only empowers individual entrepreneurs but also fosters a more diverse, inclusive, and vibrant business community for all of Kitsap County.

Looking forward, Kitsap Community Resources looks forward to continued funding collaboration with Washington state. In addition to another multifamily affordable housing development with Commerce, KCR is working with community partners to establish a congregate shelter, as well as respite beds funded by the state Department of Health. Housing is just one important goal that allows so much more for Kitsap County community members. According to KCR staff, housing creates hope. Hope creates community integration.