HELP US SPREAD THE WORD! In anticipation of forecasted snow and extreme temperatures, the City of Seattle will open a severe weather shelter for adults (all genders) starting Sunday night, January 12th through Sunday night, January 19th at the Exhibition Hall at the Seattle Center – 301 Mercer Street –… [ Keep reading ]
The year has kept the Seattle Human Services Department busy, presenting many challenges, opportunities, and reasons to celebrate! As we enter 2020, lets take a moment and look at 19 highlights from ‘19 that demonstrate the incredible work our teams have accomplished together – and with your partnership – over the last year:
In anticipation of forecasted temperatures below freezing overnight, severe weather shelter expansion for adults 18 years of age and above — all genders — will be open every night from Wednesday, November 27 through Monday, December 2, starting tonight at Seattle Municipal Tower. For more shelter options, please call 211 for help and follow @SeattleHSD for updates.
Building Changes is calling on communities across the country to reconsider use of the VI-SPDAT, a widely used Coordinated Entry standardized assessment tool that helps determine who gets prioritized for housing referrals. A new study, funded by Building Changes, finds that use of the VI-SPDAT unfairly favors white people over people of color, thereby perpetuating racial inequities within the homeless system. Building Changes believes strongly that communities have an obligation to address inequities that negatively impact the efforts of people of color to transition successfully out of homelessness and into stable housing, including any barriers that restrict their access to services.
Did you know that the City of Seattle has a blog dedicated just to the city’s homelessness response?
The Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) released Quarter 2 (Q2) performance metrics for the City of Seattle’s Navigation Team, which is comprised outreach workers, field coordinators, and police officers that work to connect people living unsheltered to shelter and support services. The Q2 data shows the team working at a higher capacity, connecting more people to shelter when compared to the first quarter of 2019, and increasing operational capacity to better address unmanaged encampments posing public access, health, and safety concerns. When compared to Quarter 1 (Q1), the Navigation Team saw the following increases in Q2: • 16 percent increase in unique individuals engaged by the Navigation Team; • 10 percent increase in unique individuals referred to shelters; • 47 Navigation Team reserved beds available daily, rising from 17 beds available in Q1 o More beds available in basic shelters, tiny house villages, and enhanced shelters; and • 79 more referrals to enhanced shelter and tiny house villages than in Q1.
The Human Services Department (HSD) has moved forward with a partnership with the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle (Urban League) and Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Church in Ballard to support an existing program that helps people who are living in their cars connect to case management services and stable permanent housing. In her budget, which was approved by City Council, Mayor Durkan proposed a Safe Parking Pilot to help more people move into housing from vehicles. In addition, HSD will work with other faith community leaders across the City to fully implement the pilot to serve up to 30 households living in their cars.
A plan to reduce discrimination and bias The Human Services Department (HSD) is excited to announce a plan to reduce bias and discrimination in the homeless response system toward LGBTQ-identified people experiencing homelessness. The plan, created in partnership in with the Ingersoll Gender Center and the Pride Foundation, identifies thirteen… [ Keep reading ]
HSD’s expanded investments in effective homeless services and programs like enhanced shelter, prevention, rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing have helped more than 4,000 households to move off the streets and into housing or to remain housed. Jason Johnson, acting director of Seattle’s Human Services Department, said the progress is… [ Keep reading ]
We’re making progress, together As the City addresses the crisis of homelessness, we are focused on helping people move off the streets and into permanent housing. More people served – 25,420 households served in 2018. An increase of 7% over 2017.
