Human Interests Blog Human Services

Human Interests

Seattle Human Services news and events

HSD Announces Results of the 2019 Food Access Opportunity Fund RFP

by

The Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) is pleased to announce the results of the 2019 Food Access Opportunity Fund Request for Proposals (RFP) that closed on March 6. Applicants were invited to improve healthy food access by investing in community-based projects designed and led by the people most impacted by race, social, health, and environmental injustices.

The RFP guides the investment of $800,000 from the Food Access Opportunity Fund. This funding is provided by the City of Seattle’s Sweetened Beverage Tax (SBT) — established by City Council (Ordinance 125324) — and aligns with the SBT Community Advisory Board’s (CAB) Operating Principles:

  • Priority populations – Projects and activities should focus on reaching communities of color, immigrants, refugees, people with low income, youth and young adults, and English language learners.
  • Place-based focus areas – Projects and activities should be located in areas where communities of color, immigrants, refugees, people with low income, and English language learners live, work, play, worship or go to school.
  • Community-driven – Projects and activities should be led by community-based organizations with continuous connections to the focus population or community.
  • Culturally-responsive – Projects and activities should be culturally responsive and delivered in ways that are accessible and comfortable for the focus population or community.
  • Prevention-oriented – Projects and activities should focus on health equity by preventing sugary drink consumption and educating people about the chronic conditions caused by sugary drinks.

HSD received 24 eligible applications that were reviewed by a committee whose members have experience with food systems and food equity, as well as working with communities of color, immigrant and refugee populations, and low-income communities. The panel was gender, age and ethnically diverse and included representatives from the African American, Latinx, Native American, Caucasian, and immigrant communities.

The committee recommended 18 proposals receive funding, up to $50,000 each, to support a diverse range of organizations:

  • South Park Information and Resource Center
  • Indigenous Roots, LLC
  • Somali Family Safety Task Force
  • African Community Housing & Development
  • Black Dollar Days Task Force
  • East African Community Services
  • Puentes: Advocacy, Counseling & Education
  • Rainier Beach Action Coalition
  • Avole Coffee, LLC
  • Feest
  • Hip Hop is Green
  • First Tongan Seniors Association
  • Eritrean Association in Greater Seattle
  • Vietnamese Friendship Association
  • Hunger Intervention Program
  • Puget Sound Labor Agency
  • Temple Lifestyle
  • American Polynesian Organization

“On behalf of the Sweetened Beverage Tax Community Advisory Board, we congratulate the first grantees of the new Food Access Opportunity Fund,” said Christina Wong, Advisory Board Co-Chair. “We are excited to see the Sweetened Beverage Tax revenue supporting grassroots, community-led efforts to improve healthy food access in communities most affected by racial and economic inequities. We look forward to learning from your innovative and tailored strategies.”

The funding will support a number of efforts such as urban farming and increased access to healthy foods, farm stands, strategies to reduce sugary drink consumption, and healthy food and nutrition education focused on youth to seniors and students to families from diverse communities across Seattle.

HSD Announces 2019 Safety RFP Funding Opportunity

by

The Youth and Family Empowerment (YFE) Division of the City of Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) is seeking applications from agencies interested in providing systems navigation and addressing trauma for 18 to 24-year-old people harmed by the criminal legal system in Seattle.

This Safety RFP is focused on people harmed by the criminal legal system in Seattle by investing in two strategies:

  • Systems Navigation – Individuals and families harmed by the criminal legal system get their basic needs met. This RFP defines a system as a structure that intersects with an individual’s or family’s ability to fully live their lives.  
  • Trauma Intervention – Individuals, families, and communities (of shared identity, culture, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and/or experience) address the harm caused by the criminal legal system. This RFP defines trauma as the result of an experienced event that has lasting, adverse effects on individual, familial, and community well-being.

Applicants must address both strategies. We will accept proposals submitted by one group or one agency. We will also accept collective proposals submitted by two or more groups and/or agencies. Collective proposals must identify a lead agency or group. If selected for funding, HSD will contract with the lead agency or group. All funded applicants will be required to participate in a data and learning cohort that will meet regularly.

Approximately $4,910,333 in HSD General Fund dollars is available through this RFP. HSD intends to fund a maximum of 25 proposals. Initial awards will be made for the period of January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020. While it is the City’s intention to renew agreements resulting from this funding opportunity on an annual basis through the 2023 calendar year, future funding will be contingent upon performance and funding availability. For more information, and all application materials click here.

HSD seeks to contract with a diverse group to help ensure the result of HSD’s Safety investment is that people harmed by the criminal legal system in Seattle live their lives fully without further harm and that all youth in Seattle successfully transition into adulthood. 

If you have any questions about this Safety RFP, please contact: Leslea Bowling at leslea.bowling@seattle.gov or (206) 684-0520. 

Next Thursday, 5/16: Coffee with the Department of Neighborhoods!

by

Join us for coffee and conversation with Andrés Mantilla, Director, Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Thursday, May 16 10:00–11:00 a.m. The Central Building 810 3rd Avenue 1st Floor Conference Room (between Columbia & Marion in downtown Seattle)
Click above to view the flier

Join us for coffee and conversation with Andrés Mantilla on Thursday, May 16, 10:00–11:00 a.m. at The Central Building, 810 3rd Avenue, 1st Floor Conference Room (between Columbia & Marion in downtown Seattle).

Seattle Department of Neighborhoods provides resources and opportunities for community members to build strong communities and improve their quality of life. Director Andrés Mantilla will address how the Department interacts with older adults and elevates their concerns to City decision making.

New for 2019! Subscribe to “Aging King County” on YouTube to view short video stories (“vlogs”) about each coffee hour: bit.ly/ADSonYouTube. Share them with anyone you think might be interested! For questions about accessibility or to request an accommodation, contact Lenny Orlov (206-386-1521 or agefriendly@seattle.gov) at least three days prior to the event.

Age Friendly Seattle Coffee Hours are held on the third Thursday of every month at the Central Building and on other dates in Seattle neighborhoods.

The events bring community elders closer to City officials to explore topics of interest. Presentations often include cutting edge information about healthy aging, legal and planning issues, and more.

Participants learn about City programs and services, and officials hear from their constituents. Coffee and refreshments are served. Visit the Age Friendly Seattle website to learn more — www.seattle.gov/agefriendly

HSD Announces Results of the Older Adult Community Transportation RFP

by

The Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) is pleased to announce the results of the 2019 Older Adult Community Transportation RFP that was issued on January 14. Applicants were invited to submit proposals providing health services transportation and/or food access transportation in King County. Health Services Transportation enables older people to access healthcare by providing trips to medical and dental appointments, health-related services, and other essential appointments. Food Access Transportation enables older adults to access healthy food in the setting of their choice.

The RFP guides the investment of $711,500 in Federal Older Americans Act Title III-B funding and Washington State Senior Citizens Services Act funding. Additionally, City of Seattle Sweetened Beverage Tax (SBT) provides $150,048 to enhance and expand Food Access Transportation services for Seattle residents and allow full funding of the two top-ranked applications.

Three applications were received and reviewed by a diverse committee of subject matter experts and advocates for older adult services and community transportation. This included community members with extensive personal and professional experience with program activities, representation of or service to the focus populations, and understanding of participants’ needs, as well as representatives from the City’s human services, transportation, and legislative departments. In accordance with committee recommendations:

  • Sound Generations will receive $711,500 to support their Volunteer Transportation Service, Driver Companion, Nutrition Van Service, and Demand Response Service programs.
  • Catholic Community Services will receive $60,048 for their Volunteer Services Transportation program.
  • Northshore Senior Center will receive $90,000 for their Right Ride program.

“Transportation to and from community meal sites and health services is a service provided by many Area Agencies on Aging throughout the country,” said Cathy Knight, director of HSD’s Aging and Disability Services division, the Area Agency on Aging for Seattle and King County. “Each year, more than 2,000 people use these services to get the nutrition and health care they need for healthy aging.”  

The three funded agencies will engage in coordination activities and conduct client-level data reporting toward HSD goals of results-based accountability and racial equity.

We’re making progress, together…

by

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 mirrored in what the city has been hearing from its contractors. “We’re serving more people than we ever have before,” Johnson said. “We’re also exiting more people through programs and into permanent housing.”

“We are grateful for our homeless services provider partners who are working hard to ensure that they are serving people more effectively. With their help we increased the number of households served by 7% over last year to more than 25,000 households in 2018. We wouldn’t be making progress without them.”

We are also looking more at the effectiveness of tiny house village programs and how to work more closely with the communities around them. Click to read more about this on our Homelessness Response blog.

All Home 2019 Count Us In Infographic
Click image to download the
2019 Count Us In Infographic

With the latest data released by All Home today, we are also cautiously optimistic. Count Us In, the annual Point in Time count for Seattle and King County, found a total of 11,199 people experiencing homelessness countywide, including 5,971 people (53%) sheltered and 5,228 people (47%) unsheltered. While we continue our work to serve more people, more effectively, these numbers represent the first reduction in homelessness since 2012 for Seattle/King County – an overall decrease of eight percent compared to 2018, and a decrease of seventeen percent among the unsheltered population. The full Count Us In report, estimated to be complete by the end of May, will include more detailed information on the results, including a sub-regional breakdown and a deeper analysis of the Count Us In survey responses.

“We’re serving more people than we ever have before,” Johnson said. “We’re also exiting more people through programs and into permanent housing.”

“Still it is not enough,” said Mayor Durkan. “This is a regional crisis that demands a regional response – none of us can do it alone to help the thousands in need of housing and services. Government, philanthropy, businesses, and human services providers must continue our work together to expand affordable housing, treatment services and effective programs like enhanced shelters.”

Work is on-going to establish a Regional Authority to manage homelessness response, expand access to diversion services which help people quickly find housing at the beginning of their experience with homelessness, and continued investments in enhanced shelters and safe spaces with enhanced services. We have covered some of those steps here in recent newsletters, and we will continue to do so. We’re making progress, together… and there is much more work to be done.

Celebrate Older Americans Month 2019: Connect, Create, Contribute!

by

Happy May Day!

Older American Month Infographic
Click on the image above to download a PDF version.

This day holds a lot of meaning, from celebration of Spring through flowery Maypole dances to recognition of International Workers’ Day. For me, it’s also the first day of Older Americans Month, a time to celebrate the contributions of older people in our communities nationwide.

Older Americans Month is an annual event that dates back to 1963, when President John F. Kennedy designated May as Senior Citizens Month. The current name and theme are sanctioned by the Administration for Community Living, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This year’s theme is Connect, Create, Contribute.

Ensuring that people throughout King County can age in place with a focus on improved physical and mental health is a primary body of work for this department and a central result that the department is driving. Visit the Older Americans Month page on the Aging King County website. You’ll see links to logos and social media badges, plus a May calendar of events. Look for information in the May issue of AgeWise King County, too.

Ageism runs rampant in our community and most communities. Celebrating the older people in our midst and talking about their lives—past, present, and future—helps to fight ageism. We know that aging is about living. We know that everyone lives their best life when they stay active and involved with other people.

This month, whether you acknowledge Older Americans Month or not, please look for opportunities to celebrate older people who are connected, creative contributors to their families and communities. 

Making Progress: more people moved from homelessness to housing in 2018

by

In 2018, more people were served, more moved from homelessness to housing and more people living with disabling conditions were stably housed, with the support of Seattle residents.

Enhanced shelters, tiny house villages, rapid rehousing, and other homeless services programs that receive funds from the Human Services Department (HSD) are working together to help thousands of people everyday.

As Seattle addresses the crisis of homelessness, we are focused on helping people move off the streets and into permanent housing. Last year, more people moved from homelessness to housing or were prevented from becoming homeless.

Permanent supportive housing (PSH) programs helped 1,899 households remain stably housed. PSH provides housing for people that have experienced chronic homelessness and are living with disabling physical or medical conditions. PSH helps clients, who are at high risk of experiencing homelessness again, remain housed with the necessary services.

We are working together to make progress in addressing homelessness in Seattle. The hard work of homeless services programs and the support of Seattle residents helped more people find and remain housed in 2018, than the previous year. Together, we will continue to make progress in 2019.

April is Fair Housing Month

by

April is National Fair Housing Month. National Fair Housing Month increases efforts to end housing discrimination and raises awareness of fair housing rights. The month also remembers the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968 and his contributions to the Civil Rights Movement, of which fair and equitable access to housing was a key factor. The Fair Housing Act also celebrates its anniversary during April. In 2018, the Fair Housing Act celebrated its 50th anniversary. Designed to protect Americans from discrimination in the sale, rental and financing of housing based on color, race, national origin and religion, the act later extended to sex, disability and family status.

During 2018, the City of Seattle focused on the second year’s work to implement the 2017 City of Seattle and Seattle Housing Authority Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH). The development of the AFH required significant coordination, facilitation, research and production among 16 different city departments plus the Seattle Housing Authority during the period of 2015-2017. The AFH was adopted and accepted by HUD in July 2017. The 2018-2022 Consolidated Plan integrated the goals of the AFH work plan and as a result, the 2018 CAPER is the first time AFH accomplishments are included in our report. Please see the separate attachment that focuses on the commitments and progress toward AFH goals.

Below are some highlights for 2018 from that plan, though only a small portion of the work overlapped with the Assessment of Fair Housing:

  • The “Fair Chance Housing Ordinance” became effective on 2/19/2018 (SOCR)
  • SOCR worked in partnership with HSD to attend community listening sessions as part of a Racial Equity Toolkit to examine how City Council-designated funds should be distributed for tenant outreach (SOCR)
  • A campaign was launched to educate the public about the “Alternative Source of Income” and “Fair Chance Housing” ordinance (SOCR)
  • 8 free fair housing workshops for housing providers in an effort to make housing laws easier to access for the public (SOCR, SDCI)
  • 26 trainings were held with housing providers on how best to address bias when using criminal records in tenant screening (SOCR)
  • OPCD published its first “Comprehensive Plan Urban Village Monitoring Report” in June 2018. This report gauges the City’s progress in implementing Seattle’s recently updated Comprehensive Plan. The report tracks indicators related to housing and employment growth, housing affordability, and key aspects of livability including access to frequent transit, presence of sidewalks, and access to parks and open space. We’re measuring the indicators for the city as a whole and for individual centers and villages across the city (OPCD)
  • Affirmative marketing requirements for MFTE, MHA, and IZ performance units were published (OH)

I would like to acknowledge and offer my many thanks to the HSD Federal Grants Unit, in particular Debra Rhinehart, for the coordination this local effort requires. This body of work is racial equity in action, and I appreciate your leadership. #NationalFairHousingMonth

HSD Announces Results of the Homeless Outreach RFQ

by

The Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) is pleased to announce that it has awarded $244,400 to Evergreen Treatment Center’s REACH program to provide neighborhood-based homeless outreach services. The 2019 Homeless Strategy and Investment Outreach RFQ, also known as the 2019 Outreach RFQ, was a closed, expedited process only made available to agencies that had applied for Outreach and Engagement funding through the City’s 2017 Homeless Investments RFP and agencies currently funded by HSD to provide Outreach services.

Outreach services are defined as efforts to approach and engage someone with the objective of developing a relationship of trust and connecting that person with resources. Services may include addressing a person’s survival needs, providing health and other education, facilitating access to available services such as diversion or emergency shelter, and establishing ongoing, trusting relationships.

HSD is investing $244,400 of City General Fund to support up to three full-time outreach workers to serve First Hill, Capitol Hill, and/or Chinatown-International District neighborhoods. (HSD already funds several other outreach providers serving areas in Seattle.) In addition to outreach directly to people who are homeless, the staff person will serve as the point of contact for neighbors, including businesses, who are interested in maintaining or creating safe and vibrant communities and generating solutions to homelessness. Initial awards will be made from April 2019 through December 31, 2019, with renewal through 2020 contingent upon performance and funding availability.

The Outreach RFQ review committee consisted of members who have lived or worked in the identified neighborhoods, have led programs designed for people who are or have been homeless, and/or have lived experience as homeless and have received homeless services and subsidized housing in Seattle.

The committee recommended Evergreen Treatment Center’s REACH program based on a variety of factors, including their experience engaging with and assisting unsheltered populations, their willingness to tailor outreach work in the three identified neighborhoods in the RFQ, and their expertise in outreach to an array of people who are homeless in Seattle, including, but not limited to, people with ongoing mental health and substance use needs.

“It was a difficult decision to come to, but we were ultimately impressed with REACH’s ability to holistically serve the individuals experiencing homelessness in our neighborhoods,” said Jamie Lee, Director of Community Initiatives at Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda). “I am ready—as I’m sure are my colleagues in First Hill and Capitol Hill—to work with REACH to ensure that they serve our business community as well as those experiencing homelessness well.”

REACH builds relationships with people experiencing homelessness and connects them to the help that they need – everything from food and clothing to medical care, shelter, and mental health and/or substance use treatment. REACH improves lives daily for more than 1,000 King County residents. Whether it’s a visit to the doctor, a warm meal, or getting into substance use treatment, their work changes lives. Visit REACH’s website to hear stories about how they have helped improve people’s lives on the street.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month & What is Denim Day?

by

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), which was first nationally observed in 2001, but has been used to raise awareness and organize against sexual- and gender-based violence since the 1970s. The Mayor’s Office on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (MODVSA) would like to acknowledge the important work of the Seattle Women’s Commission, the Coalition Ending Gender-Based Violence, and the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center  for leading in our region to support survivors and work to eliminate sexual assault, rape, and gender-based violence in our communities.

As part of recognizing SAAM, City Councilmember Lisa Herbold crafted a Proclamation in partnership with the Women’s Commission honoring the month in Full Council on Monday, April 8. The MODVSA and the Coalition will also be co-sponsoring an educational event as part of Denim Day on April 24, 2019 at City Hall.

Denim Day - Wear jeans with a purpose on April 24, 2019.

Harmful and erroneous attitudes about rape and sexual assault pervade our society. That is the reason why Denim Day exists – it is an anti-sexual violence campaign that is acknowledged worldwide every April. In Italy in 1992, a man raped a woman who was wearing a tight pair of jeans at the time. She reported the rape and the man was convicted. The case was appealed to the Italian Supreme Court. The court overturned the conviction in 1998 due to their belief that because the woman’s jeans were so tight, there is no way she could have been raped – in their view, she must have helped the man remove her jeans, thereby implying consent. The following day, the women of the Italian Parliament showed up to work wearing jeans in protest of the outrageous decision. This protest sparked an annual, worldwide Denim Day campaign against destructive attitudes about sexual assault.

Unfortunately, many harmful myths and misconceptions about rape and sexual violence remain in our collective conscience: myths about victims, myths about perpetrators, myths about causes of rape, myths about reactions to sexual violence, etc. Even though we are living in the #MeToo era, where we have declared #TimesUp on sexual predators, and even though many high-profile offenders are being held accountable for the harm they have done to others, we still have a long way to go.

For Indigenous survivors of sexual violence, justice is even further away. Native Americans are 2.5 times more likely to experience sexual assault and rape than women of any other ethnic group in the United States.[i] About 9 in 10 Native/American Indian victims of rape or sexual assault were estimated to have had assailants who were of a different race.[1] According to a study of 148 Native women in Seattle, 94% of participants had been raped or experienced sexual coercion in their lifetime.[2] Because of several laws preventing tribes from prosecuting non-Native offenders, many Native women who experience sexual violence never see justice. According to a study by the Government Accountability Office, US attorneys declined to prosecute 67% of sexual abuse, homicide, and other violent crimes against Native women.[3]

Racist attitudes about Indigenous communities and their approach to government and criminal prosecution threatened to halt the reauthorization of VAWA (the Violence Against Women Act – a federal law that provides support for many victim service agencies in the U.S.) in 2013 and again now, in 2019. In 2013, a provision was added to VAWA that allowed tribes to prosecute non-Indians for domestic violence, dating violence, and criminal violations of protection orders. This year, the proposed legislation would add child abuse, sexual assault, stalking, trafficking, obstruction of justice, and assaults against law enforcement officers to the crimes that tribes can prosecute against non-Indians.

As we know from two reports by the Urban Indian Health Institute, violence against and murder of Indigenous women in the Seattle area is an alarming problem that needs more attention.[4] To amplify the volume on this issue, this year, on April 24th, the City of Seattle is hosting an event titled Denim Day: Honoring Indigenous Women. The event features an incredible lineup of local Indigenous leaders and speakers who will be discussing the topic of sexual violence against Native women.

**Updated April 29, 2019 to include video from event below:

To further address sexual violence in our community, MODVSA invests more than $8.4 million in gender-based violence (GBV) prevention, intervention, systems enhancement, and offender accountability programs. The objectives of these investments are to ensure that survivors and their families find safety, ensure that all members of our community have access to critical services, build community support to end abuse and violence, and hold offenders accountable. Together, service providers in our region champion progress in our local, state, and national laws to ensure that all survivors are supported. Many of the funded agencies in our region provide specialized services for focus populations, such as the Native American community. By investing in a wide array of services that represent and serve traditionally under-funded communities, we know that we will be able to empower more survivors to lead the way for change and, ultimately, to end sexual violence.

[1] https://endrapeoncampus.org/new-page-3

[2] http://www.uihi.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/UIHI_sexual-violence_r601_pagesFINAL.pdf

[3] https://www.gao.gov/new.items/d11167r.pdf

[4] http://www.uihi.org/resources/reports/

[i] https://www.hcn.org/articles/tribal-affairs-why-native-american-women-still-have-the-highest-rates-of-rape-and-assault