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Human Interests

Seattle Human Services news and events

Severe Weather Shelter Opening Over Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend

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HELP US SPREAD THE WORD!

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 (700 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98104). For more shelter options, please call 211 for help and follow @SeattleHSD for updates.

Thumbnail image of flier showing a picture of Seattle Municipal Tower and the shelter information shown in the blog post.

Please note that Severe Weather Shelter opening times vary as follows:

  • Wednesday, 11/27 – 9pm
  • Thursday, 11/28 – 7pm
  • Friday, 11/29 – 7pm
  • Saturday, 11/30 – 7pm
  • Sunday, 12/1 – 7pm
  • Monday, 12/2 – 9pm

The Severe Weather Shelter is operated by The Salvation Army, and people may enter on 5th Avenue and Cherry Street.

NOTE–previous notification indicated Seattle City Hall as the severe weather shelter. The location has changed to Seattle Municipal Tower, which is located across the street from City Hall. People arriving at City Hall will be directed by staff to the new location.

HSD Announces Results of the Seattle Sweetened Beverage Tax Public Awareness & Counter-Marketing Campaign Consultant Contract RFP

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The Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) is pleased to announce the results of the 2019 Seattle Sweetened Beverage Tax (SBT) Public Awareness & Counter-Marketing Campaign Consultant Contract Request for Proposal (RFP) that closed on October 2. The RFP sought consultants interested in developing a community-led public awareness campaign of creative and culturally relevant branding and messaging to communicate the impacts of sugary sweetened beverages on members of our community — including a special focus on youth.

The RFP guides the investment of up to $473,046 in 2019 and $236,523 in 2020 for an estimated 15-month contract. This funding is provided by the City of Seattle’s Sweetened Beverage Tax established by City Council.

HSD received four innovative and diverse proposals that were reviewed and rated by committees whose members work with focus and priority populations and/or have expertise in food access, marketing, communications, and government contracting in Seattle and King County. Members were relatively age-, gender-, and ethnically diverse. All four firms that applied for funding are registered Women and Minority Owned Businesses (WMBE) with the City of Seattle.

The rating committees recommended fully funding The Vida Agency in the requested amount of $547,347.

Some of The Vida Agency’s recent projects include developing a multilingual digital campaign for King County Metro to inform a broad audience of residents in Delridge about the upcoming RapidRide H line, website and content development for The Laurel Rubin Farm Worker Justice Project, and a multi-year relationship with the Latino Community Fund of Washington State.

“Our team breathes new life into projects; wrapping different perspectives around the same data and identifying metrics that matter. We broaden (or pinpoint) audiences, expand possibilities, ask new questions and amplify the voices of the unheard and underserved,” the team proudly proclaims on their website. “We join forces, make you laugh, push back (not check a box) and lead a process that reveals possibilities and strengthen bonds for the long game.”

The Sweetened Beverage Tax Community Advisory Board (CAB), composed of Mayor and City Council appointees, was established by the City Council ordinance which created the SBT to advise and make recommendations to the Mayor and City Council on programs and services supported by the tax. Members of the CAB consulted with HSD during the funding process by designing RFP questions, reviewing applications, and interviewing applicants.

“The CAB is enthusiastic to see this public awareness and counter-marketing project underway, and with a clear commitment to developing a campaign that is shaped and developed by youth of color who are most impacted by the predatory and manipulative marketing practices of the beverage industry”, said CAB member Lisa Chen. Ms. Chen is a food access representative on the CAB and participated in the RFP rating committee.

City of Seattle Proclaims October as “Domestic Violence Awareness Month” to Raise Awareness for Victims and Survivors of Abuse

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For Immediate Release

Contact: Michael Taylor-Judd, Public Relations Specialist, External Affairs, City of Seattle Human Services Department, 206-256-5225, michael.taylor-judd@seattle.gov or Cynthia Santana, Communications Manager, 206-256-5219, cynthia.santana@seattle.gov

Seattle – (October 14, 2019) – Mayor Jenny A. Durkan proclaimed the month of October as “Domestic Violence Awareness Month” to raise public awareness and support for victims and survivors of gender-based violence. The Office of Labor Standards (OLS) and the Human Services Department (HSD) mark this month as a time to remember victims and survivors of abuse and exploitation; to raise awareness of violence and its effect on families and communities; and acknowledge and highlight those working to address ending gender-based violence.

Nationally, women lose eight million days of paid work each year due to domestic violence. Seattle’s Paid Sick and Safe Time (PSST) Ordinance provides more than paid sick leave. It also provides Seattle workers with paid leave for absences for critical safety issues arising from domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

The City of Seattle invests more than $10 million annually in gender-based violence services, including prevention, legal, intervention, housing, and offender accountability services. In Washington State, 41 percent of women and 32 percent of men report experiencing violence from an intimate partner. Additionally, language barriers, lack of culturally relevant services, threats of deportation, and fear of isolation put marginalized communities at an increased risk of experiencing gender-based violence. Women of color and Native women are two-to-three times more likely to experience a gender-based, violence-related fatality than their white counterparts.   

HSD employees wear their color for #PurpleThursday and hold the Mayor’s Proclamation.

Join the City of Seattle in honoring the victims and survivors of domestic violence by wearing purple every Thursday during October. During Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Seattle City Hall lights will be purple, and on Thursday, October 24th City of Seattle staff will be joined by some other cities in the region for #PugetSoundPurpleThursday. Get your colleagues or loved ones together and join us by posting your photos online using the hashtag. For more ideas and action steps that you can take to end domestic violence, visit: https://endgv.org/ or https://wscadv.org/dvam/.

Please visit the OLS website for more information on the PSST Ordinance or call 206-256-5297; and visit the Seattle Human Services Department for more on supportive victim services. 

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On the Homelessness Response Blog: HSD Releases Performance Data for First Six Months of 2019

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Did you know that the City of Seattle has a blog dedicated just to the city’s homelessness response?

Recently, the Human Services Department (HSD) released the first half of 2019 performance outcomes of programs that received funding from the City of Seattle to serve people experiencing homelessness. Investments are focused on programs that help households move to permanent housing.

We continue to be grateful for our homeless services provider partners who are working hard to ensure that we are continuing to make progress — together.

When compared to the same time period in 2018, The City of Seattle’s investments have continued to do more:

Graphic images showing some highlights of Q2 2019 Homeless Data

These are just some of the highlights that continue to make us cautiously optimistic that things are changing for the better. Instead of simply duplicating the blog post over here, we want to encourage you to check out more graphics and more details on our progress in the second quarter of 2019 by visiting the entry posted earlier today on the Homelessness Response Blog.

ICYMI: Engaging African American Males in Ending Gender-Based Violence (Video)

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Did you miss last week’s MODVSA-sponsored event, “Engaging African American Males in Ending Gender-Based Violence: Increasing Pathways to Safety, Justice, Reconciliation and Healing” at Seattle City Hall, featuring a panel of speakers including Dr. Oliver Williams, professor at the University of Minnesota with 35 years in the field of domestic violence, and Bettie Williams-Watson, Executive Director of Multi Communities and 33 years in the fields of domestic violence and sexual assault?

No problem! Seattle Channel has video here, and you can follow along with the event program.

The Seattle Sweetened Beverage Tax Public Awareness & Counter-Marketing Campaign RFP

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The Youth and Family Empowerment (YFE) Division of the City of Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) is seeking applications from consultants interested in developing a public awareness campaign about sugary drinks by supporting two strategies recommended by the Sweetened Beverage Tax Community Advisory Board:

  • Mass media counter-marketing campaign led by a community-based organization (CBO) – Support a CBO to develop and test messages and design a paid and earned media sugary drink counter-marketing campaign. Then, implement the campaign in multiple communication channels (e.g. ethnic/community specific radio, TV, newspaper and social media channels, CBOs, youth organizations)
  • Youth-led counter-marketing campaign led by a community-based organization (CBO) – Support a CBO to develop and design an approach to engage youth in developing and leading a peer-to-peer sugary drink counter-marketing campaign. Then, implement the campaign in multiple communication channels (e.g. ethnic/community specific radio, TV, newspaper and social media channels) and through coordinated work of CBOs and youth.

Up to $473,046 in 2019 and $236,523 in 2020 of contract funds are available through this RFP. Funding awards will be made for the period of October 15, 2019 to December 31, 2020, for an estimated 15-month contract, or until work is completed.

This is an open and competitive process. Completed application packets are due by 4:00 PM on September 30, 2019. For more information, and all application materials click here.

If you have any questions about this Safety RFP, please contact: Amaury Ávalos at (206) 386-1561 or by email at amaury.avalos@seattle.gov.

HSD Announces Results of the 2019 YFE Safety RFP

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The Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) is pleased to announce the results of the 2019 YFE Safety: Addressing Impacts of the Criminal Legal System Request for Proposals (RFP) that closed on June 13. Applicants were invited to provide systems navigation and address trauma for 18 to 24-year-old people harmed by the criminal legal system in Seattle. The RFP guides the investment of more than $4 million in HSD General Fund dollars for the January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 contract period.

HSD received 24 eligible applications from organizations reviewed by a committee whose members represented and worked with the focus and priority populations of this RFP. Reviewers also had content expertise addressing the impacts of the criminal legal system in the City of Seattle, King County, and Washington State. Raters were age, gender, and ethnically diverse and represented multiple cultures and communities: Black, African American, Native, Black/Mexican, Black (mixed), Brown (mix), South Asian, Asian/Filipino, Asian, African American/Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, Hispanic/Latino, LGBTQ, bilingual, and white. 

HSD and the review committee recommended funding 14 proposals from the following applicants:

  • African American Leadership Forum
  • CHOOSE 180
  • Community Passageways
  • Consejo Counseling and Referral Service
  • Freedom Project
  • POCAAN
  • Progress Pushers
  • Public Defender Association
  • ROOTS Young Adult Shelter
  • Somali Family Safety Task Force
  • Southwest Youth and Family Services
  • Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle
  • Walk Away City Collaborative
  • YMCA of Greater Seattle – Accelerator

The funding will support a number of activities such as healing and accountability circles for incarcerated men and trans women; leadership training for community leaders directly impacted by systems of violence; training on nonviolent communication, mindfulness, and racial equity; peer support programs and family-integrated transitions; peacemaking circles; and felony diversion for a diverse range of communities in Seattle.

Student Orientations and Dorm Life the Next Step for Upward Bound 2019 Grads!

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New student orientations on college campuses are nearly finished as many students across the nation prepare to start their college campus lives. Upward Bound will have 23 graduating seniors this year heading to a wide variety of post-secondary schools in Washington State: including University of Washington, Seattle University, Western State University, Eastern Washington University, Seattle Pacific University, and Bellevue College.

I think orientation is something all incoming freshmen should do because it allows them to view the campus and their future dorm, as well as shows the students who they will be going to school with.

2019 Garfield graduate Khabirah had selected Eastern Washington University as her school, but she wasn’t sure about attending student orientation.  Fortunately, her Upward Bound counselor strongly encouraged her to attend and ultimately, she was able to go.  Smooth transitions to campus life can play an important role in a student’s success.  Being oriented to dorm life, the idea of roommates, campus resources, etc. is all part of it.  As Khabirah said after her orientation last week, “I think orientation is something allincoming freshmen should do because it allows them to view the campus and their future dorm, as well as shows the students who they will be going to school with.” 

Photograph showing a page from Carleton's freshman welcome brochure showing a picture of Hermela along with a brief bio paragraph.
Click to view larger image

One student, Hermela, has participated in Upward Bound from 9th grade through to high school graduation. With program guidance, she earned a full-ride scholarship to Carlton College in Minnesota. She also received a Seattle School District Scholarship of $3,500. Hermela was highlighted in Carleton’s brochure as an incoming freshman.

Seeing Upward Bound graduates go off to college is exciting and bittersweet.  She recently shared that, “Upward Bound is like my second family.  From the start of freshman year to now, they have always been there for me, whether it was to celebrate or to comfort.” We will miss Hermela, but we look forward to hearing about the continued personal journey of all our graduates!

HSD Announces Results of the 2019 Farm to Preschool and Out-of-School Time RFP

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Close-up image of child washing fresh snap peas.

The Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) is pleased to announce the results of the 2019 Farm to Preschool and Out-of-School Time Request for Proposals (RFP) that closed on July 1. Applicants were invited to support food procurement, food equity, and connections between Washington State farmers and Seattle public preschools and before and after school programs serving low-income children and families in Seattle. The RFP guides the investment of more than $200,000, including funding from Seattle’s Sweetened Beverage Tax (SBT).

HSD received a single application which was reviewed by a committee whose members recommended fully funding the proposal from Farmstand Local Foods, which has a strong background in implementing a food ordering and delivery program that provides affordable, nutritious, and wholesome produce from farm to preschool and OST programs.

They have worked closely with local small-scale farmers and are responsive to their needs. The rating committee feels they have staff with experience and capacity to successfully:

  • Conduct food procurement
  • Provide nutrition education
  • Build partnerships
  • Convene a group of stakeholders
  • Work with local farms

“It is a true pleasure to spearhead this work and help bring local youth better access to our region’s beautiful and nutritious agricultural bounty. Very much looking forward to another year of advancing this worthy mission with the City of Seattle. A sincere thank you for the continued opportunity!”

Austin Becker, Farmstand Local Foods Manager

Farmstand Local Foods currently runs a Farm-to-Table program with funding from the SBT, which makes grant funds available to site directors and cooks at childcare centers and allows them to purchase and prepare locally grown food for children in the Seattle area. They are also starting to work with local food banks.

Close-up image on many small bowls of soup on a table with a child's hand taking a spoon and bowl.

“We drastically reduce the distance between Seattle’s innovative community of chefs and wholesale purchasers and the farmers from who they source product by creating an efficient sales channel for our city’s surrounding farms,” Farmstand Local Foods proudly proclaims on their website. “We partner with local small-scale producers who are committed to using regenerative practices, and buyers who strive to make conscious decisions about where they source their ingredients. We offer in-field experiences for foodservice professionals and retailers and provide insight to our growers about demand trends in the culinary industry.”

Ultimately, they believe in helping to establish an economically and environmentally sustainable food system by facilitating and maintaining connections between producers and consumers to demonstrate the value and importance of viable local farms.

Aging and Disability Services receives national achievement award

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The Seattle Human Services Department announced today that its Aging and Disability Services division—which is designated by the State of Washington as the Area Agency on Aging for Seattle-King County—and its Age Friendly Seattle team have been honored with a National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) 2019 Aging Achievement Award in recognition of their efforts to promote accessible events and meetings.

Irene Stewart and Andrea Yip accepted the n4a 2019 Aging Achievement Award on behalf of Aging and Disability Services and Age Friendly Seattle.
Irene Stewart and Andrea Yip accepted the n4a 2019 Aging Achievement Award on behalf of Aging and Disability Services and Age Friendly Seattle.

Age Friendly Seattle Accessible Events & Meetings was among 48 local aging programs to receive honors at the n4a annual conference, held July 27–31 in New Orleans, and the only one to win in the Community Planning & Livable Communities category. Age Friendly Seattle produced a 40-page Community Guide to Accessible Events & Meetings (a free download) and has coordinated and presented trainings locally and at national conferences. The most recent was a public forum at Seattle City Hall on May 30 called “How to Plan An Accessible Event,” presented by individuals with disabilities (view on The Seattle Channel or YouTube).

“n4a is thrilled to present the Aging Innovation and Achievement Awards to a diverse and talented group of Area Agencies on Aging,” said Sandy Markwood, Chief Executive Officer of n4a. “The work the AAAs have done to deliver innovative and successful programs in their communities is remarkable.”

“Our Aging and Disability Services division, through our Age Friendly Seattle initiative, has put new energy into making events welcoming and inclusive,” said Jason Johnson, director of the Seattle Human Services Department. “Across City departments and among community-based organizations, we’re far more aware now of ways to help people with disabilities have a comparable event or meeting experience to those who do not have hearing or vision loss or physical or cognitive challenges.”

“Age Friendly Seattle is an initiative to make Seattle a great place to grow up and grow old,” Johnson continued. “With approximately one-quarter of the population reporting some form of disability, an age-friendly community must be disability-friendly, too.” For more information about Age Friendly Seattle, visit www.Seattle.gov/AgeFriendly.

N4a’s primary mission is to build the capacity of its members so they can help older adults and people with disabilities live with dignity and choices in their homes and communities for as long as possible. For more information, visit www.n4a.org.