Following Mayor Durkan’s announcement to increase the City of Seattle’s bridge housing and shelter units by 25 percent, the City of Seattle’s Human Services Department (HSD) has been working with community and agency partners to bring these resources online and available to people experiencing homelessness. With Seattle’s shelters continuing to operate near capacity on a nightly basis, new shelter capacity meets a critical need to create more safe spaces for people sleeping unsheltered throughout the city.
Under Mayor Durkan’s plan to create more than 500 new shelter spaces, the City has already opened a total of 229 safer shelter spaces this year, serving approximately 258 people experiencing homelessness. The following shelter resources are available now:
- Whittier Heights Women’s Village – 16 new tiny houses, serving 22 women experiencing homelessness (Opened May).
- City Hall Shelter – 80 new basic shelter beds at Seattle City Hall (Opened July).
- YWCA Late Night Motel Vouchers – 40 beds through motel rooms for families experiencing homelessness, which can serve between 40-60 individuals and children each night (Opened July).
- Salvation Army William Booth Center – 8 additional enhanced shelter beds (Expanded in July).
- Peace for the Streets by Kids from the Streets – 5 additional beds within existing young adult shelter (Expanded in August).
- True Hope Village – 35 new tiny houses in Seattle’s Central District, serving 58 people experiencing homelessness (Opened September)
- YWCA’s Angeline’s Center for Women – 35 new beds within YWCA’s existing day center for women (Opened August).
- Navigation Center – 10 additional beds within the City’s first 24/7, enhanced shelter (Expanded in September).
In October, HSD will open approximately 75 enhanced shelter beds in the City’s fist master-lease opportunity for shelter as well as 22 tiny house villages in Lake Union:
- Haddon Hall-75 enhanced, 24/7 shelter beds operated by Catholic Community Services and Plymouth Housing. This critical shelter resource will accept referrals from the City’s Navigation Team.
- Lake Union Village– 22 tiny houses serving adults experiencing homelessness, scheduled to open in mid-October.
HSD is on track to create 516 new shelter spaces by in 2018. In addition to a new pilot provide housing and housing stability services for 40 low-income people living with HIV/AIDS and their families, resources that are scheduled to come online later this year include:
- Bailey-Boushay House – In partnership with Virginia Mason, this shelter will serve 50 HIV positive men experiencing homelessness, scheduled to open in November.
- Harborview Hall – In partnership with King County, this shelter will create 100 new beds at Harborview Medical Center.
Please continue to visit this site for updates and progress as additional resources come online.