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Posts categorized under Homelessness Archives - Page 3 of 8 - Human Interests

Human Services Department Provides Update on Three New Tiny House Village Projects

All three projects are anticipated to open this summer, operated by the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI), and add new shelter capacity The City of Seattle’s Human Services Department (HSD) provided an update on three new tiny house village projects set to open this summer that will add over 100 new tiny house units to the City’s shelter system, serving up to 145 individuals. These projects were proposed and approved as part of the 2021 budget and build on the City’s year-long work to address the impacts of COVID-19 by de-intensifying shelters, creating new enhanced shelter space, developing two hotel based shelter programs, and standing-up tiny house villages. This spring, HSD selected the sites, completed a request for proposal process, and selected a provider, LIHI. These programs will offer onsite case management services, including connections to behavioral health supports, and to permanent housing that help end a person’s experience with homelessness. Onsite amenities will also include access to hygiene and communal kitchens.

As the City of Seattle Reimagines Public Safety, Mayor Durkan and Fire Chief Scoggins Announce the Launch of Second Health One Unit Extending Service to University District and Ballard

Mayor Jenny A. Durkan and Fire Chief Harold Scoggins announced today the launch of a second Health One unit to expand regular service of the program to Ballard and the University District. The second unit begins operating on April 15 and will be staffed with a team of two specially trained firefighter/EMTs and a case manager from the Human Services Department Aging and Disability Services Division. The team will serve people with non-emergency 9-1-1 calls with issues like substance abuse, non-emergency medical issues and a need to access services. Health One continues to focus on providing alternatives to transporting individuals to hospital emergency departments.

City of Seattle Opens Two Temporary Hotel-Based Shelters

This past week, the City of Seattle announced the opening of two temporary hotel shelters as part of the streets to housing investments first announced by Mayor Jenny A. Durkan on October 1, 2020 and passed by City Council on November 23, 2020. The City is using one-time federal funding to launch this program with a goal of moving hundreds of individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness into shelter and on to permanent housing.

Final Draft 2021 Annual Action Plan

The City of Seattle announces the release of the Final Draft 2021 Annual Action Plan (AAP) to the 2018-2022 Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development. The Draft 2021 AAP includes guidance for the allocation of an estimated $18.6 million of federal grant and program revenue funds [$9,395,488 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, $3,371,865 million in HOME program funds, $817,674 in Emergency Shelter Grant Program (ESG) funds and $3,150,304 million in Housing Opportunity for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) funds plus approximately $1.9m of program revenue] from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

HSD Announces RFQ Awards for Expanded Neighborhood Outreach

Today, the Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) announced funding awards to three outreach agencies—REACH, Seattle Indian Center, and Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle—in response to the 2021 Expanding Neighborhood-Specific Outreach Expedited Request for Qualifications (RFQ). The cumulative awards total will equal $768,000 and add seven full time equivalent employees (FTEs) in underserved neighborhoods in Seattle: three FTEs covering West Seattle, Delridge, South Park, and Rainier Valley vicinities; two FTEs in the Lake City Vicinity; and two FTEs in Northwest Seattle. 

ICYMI: Update on More Than 350 New Shelter Beds Coming Online, Including Opening of Hotels, Tiny House Villages, and An Enhanced Shelter for Women

On February 23, the City of Seattle provided an update on details of more than 350 new spaces of enhanced shelter programs at hotels, tiny house villages, and a new women’s shelter in addition to the new permanent housing resources for people experiencing homelessness and facing significant barriers to housing. Since 2017, the City has invested significant resources towards 24/7 enhanced shelters and tiny home villages as the most effective programs to move individuals towards permanent housing. In 2021, these enhanced shelter resources will provide more capacity and safe shelter during COVID-19 and beyond. The hotel programs are temporary and coupled with robust rapid-re-housing and permanent supportive housing will ensure clients in the hotel shelters will have direct access to housing.

Severe Weather Shelter Update

City of Seattle in partnership with King County is opening additional severe weather shelter spaces in City Hall tonight starting at 8 pm. This shelter will be open 24 hours through Monday morning – Please share our updated severe weather shelter flyer for the latest!

City of Seattle Opens Severe Weather Shelters at Bitter Lake and Garfield Community Centers, Seattle Center

**Cross-posted from the Homelessness Response Blog In preparation for forecasted below freezing temperatures and snow over the coming days, the Seattle Human Services Department (HSD), in partnership with Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR), is opening Bitter Lake and Garfield Community Centers as 24-hour coed severe weather shelters on Thursday, February… [ Keep reading ]

What a Year! Thank you.

As 2020 comes to a close, I hope you and your loved ones are healthy and as well as one can be in what has surely been one of the more challenging years we have faced as a department. Back in January, we already knew that “change” would be a theme this year. One of the city’s top priorities for the year was to help stand-up and launch the new King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA). For HSD, this included transitioning our Homeless Strategy and Investment division staff and contracts to a co-location space with their County peers, followed by CEO on-boarding and development of a staffing plan. While that work has been underway all year, little did we know at the start of 2020 that a global pandemic like nothing seen in at least a century was already underway. Not only did that slow the progress of this work, it lead to most employees shifting to work from home, being reassigned, and changing work plans. Plus significant impacts to our economy and unimaginable changes to how each of us conduct our daily lives. With homelessness response transitioning to the KCRHA, our department planned to spend much of the year redefining how it exists within the human services space. HSD planned to work with staff, service providers, and clients to co-create a roadmap for the future. This work launched in February – during Black History Month – with an understanding that race and social justice should underpin everything that we were going to talk about. The public health crisis forced us to pause that work almost immediately. Little did we know the paradigm shift coming in the summer as the support for Black Lives Matter took on new meaning for our general society and millions more people “awoke” to the understanding that it’s time to rethink how we spend our tax dollars and how our governments respond to the needs of the community. HSD staff and our community partners have been a part of the front-line response to COVID-19, pivoting programs and rising to the many challenges to help those most in need. I am deeply proud of the work we have accomplished together during this crisis. Our mission “to connect people with resources and solutions during times of need so we can all live, learn, work, and take part in strong, healthy communities” took on a much greater sense of urgency in 2020, even as we managed our ongoing work.

City of Seattle Reminds Residents and Businesses of Resources Available for COVID-19 Relief, Announces $1.7M in funding to support BIPOC Led Organizations Impacted by the Pandemic

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the City of Seattle has worked quickly to launch COVID-19 relief programs including rent relief, expanding shelter and services for people experiencing homelessness, grocery vouchers for working families, direct cash assistance for immigrants and refugees, and financial assistance to small businesses. Residents and businesses can find a list of existing COVID-19 relief resources and policies on this website.