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Human Interests

Seattle Human Services news and events

$14 million for homeless services

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The Seattle Human Services Department has announced funding awards for the Communities Supporting Safe & Stable Housing (CSSSH) program, a total of $14.3 million for 2013.

In addition to many agencies funded previously, these awards will support populations of homeless people who have been underserved, including seniors, youth, immigrants and refugees, and Native Americans. At total of 25 community agencies and 64 programs were funded through two procurement processes:

  • A Request for Investments (RFI) process, open to agencies providing day center and placement as well as stabilization and support services for people who are homeless; and
  • A Letter of Intent (LOI) process for agencies that provide shelter, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing services; LOI applicants were rated only on their responses to questions related to the investment principles (see below).

Among the organizations (and the people they serve) that were given contracts for the first time for homeless services:

  • Pike Market Senior Center serving senior citizens
  • Neighborhood House serving immigrants and refugees
  • Peace for the Streets by Kids from the Streets serving homeless youth
  • Seattle Indian Center serving Native Americans

In 2012, HSD released the CSSSH Investment Plan to improve the City’s ability to prevent and end homelessness, while maintaining its commitment to providing safe and available shelters and essential services for people who need them. The plan created a set of investment principles which set clear expectations and standards for all providers seeking HSD funds:

  1. Provide culturally relevant and linguistically competent services
  2. Maintain high-quality standards for facilities and program operations
  3. Commit to neighborhood health and safety standards
  4. Coordinate and integrate services with community networks and mainstream service systems
  5. Collect and submit high quality data using the Safe Harbors Homeless Management Information System (HMIS)

Register for Section 8 housing wait list

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The Seattle Housing Authority is opening a new waiting list this spring for the Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) using a lottery system with registration available online only. The head of household must be 18 years or older (or an emancipated minor) at the time they receive a voucher, but there is no age requirement for lottery registration. The registration period is now open and will run through February 22. For more information, please see this Web site or call 206-239-1674.

City, community partner to feed homeless people

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The City of Seattle Human Services Department stands ready to partner with the community to explore how we can all work together to best serve people in need of food or shelter.

The Human Services Department met yesterday (Monday, January 21, 2013) with Bread of Life Mission to discuss the issue of feeding homeless people in city parks. Also in attendance were the Pioneer Square Alliance and OPERATION: Sack Lunch (which runs the Outdoor Meal Program, located at 6th and Cherry Street, under I-5), and Seattle Parks and Recreation.

We had a cordial and productive discussion and agreed to the following strategies:

  • The four agencies will work on a long-term strategy to coordinate feeding programs for homeless people, but in the interim, the Bread of Life Mission can resume its “Drive-by Feeding Services” for the homeless on the third Saturday of the month at City Hall Park.
  • The Seattle Human Services Department will explore options with agencies that serve homeless people to see if there’s an interest in partnering with community agencies to have their residents participate in meal services at their facilities.
  • As a long-term strategy, the agencies agreed to develop a coordinated system for faith-based organizations and other community groups to serve meals to homeless people – both in Seattle and in surrounding communities.

In 2012, the Seattle Human Services Department invested more than $3 million in the emergency food network for the city’s most vulnerable population, including nine meal programs ($428,000), 17 food banks ($984,000) and home delivery of food ($721,000).

Exhibit shows Asian American homelessness

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An exhibition exploring homelessness and the meaning of home among Asian Pacific Americans, on display at the Wing Luke Museum, December 7, 2012 – August 18, 2013. Opening Reception is on Thursday, December 6th 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. & 6–8 p.m.  Special Preview for Museum Members and invited guests: 3:30-4:30pm & 6-7pm. FREE admission, light refreshments nd a musical performance by Give It To Me Rusty.

Open to the public: 7-8 pm. FREE admission, no RSVP required. To RSVP to preview, contact mmartinez@wingluke.org or 206-623-5124 x107.

$312,500 available for reduced-fare bus tickets

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Through an expedited competitive Request for Proposal Process (RFP), the City of Seattle Human Services Department (HSD), King County Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS), and King County Metro are making available $312,500 in additional King County Human Services Reduced Fare Bus Tickets for 2012. Available funding will be split between the City of Seattle HSD and King County DCHS. Agencies will be responsible for 20% of the cost, with Metro subsidizing the remaining 80%.

Who Can Apply:  This application process is open to any agency located in the City of Seattle serving primarily homeless and low-income City of Seattle residents. You do notneed to be currently participating in the Human Services Reduced Fare Bus Ticket Program to apply.

To apply to the City of Seattle program, download the Application for Reduced Fare Bus Tickets and see Guidelines for Reduced Fare Bus Tickets. If you have any questions, please contact Lindsey Zimmerman at Lindsey.Zimmerman@seattle.gov

If you are an agency located in King County, outside the City of Seattle, you can access the King County application at this Web site.  For more information about the County process, contact Anna Strahan at Anna.Strahan@Kingcounty.gov

Due Dates:  Applications will be due by 4 p.m. on Friday, November 2nd, 2012. Any ticket funds awarded through this process must be purchased by December 21st, 2012.

Please note: These funds are in addition to the funds available for the 2013 Metro Human Services Reduced Fare Bus Ticket Application. Agencies interested in applying for the 2013 Metro Human Services Reduced Fare Bus Ticket Program must complete a separate application; this application will be posted the first week in November 2012.

HSD opens winter shelter for 6 months

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The Seattle Human Services Department opened two winter shelters for homeless people on October 1st, 2012. They will remain open through March 31st, 2013.

 The City Hall shelter, serving adult men and women, is located on Fourth Avenue between James and Cherry streets. Shelter doors open at 8:30 p.m. and closes the following morning at 7 a.m. Capacity is 75 people.

The Frye Hotel provides shelter for adult women only. The Frye is located at Third Avenue and Yesler Way in downtown Seattle. The shelter opens at 8:00 p.m. and closes the following morning at 7 a.m. Capacity is 25 people.

During extreme winter weather conditions, the City will open additional shelter space. The city provides advance notification of severe weather shelter through service providers, the 2-1-1 community information line and the media.

King County decided to move up the date of opening its homeless shelter in the King County Administration Building to October 2nd instead of November 1st as had been scheduled.

The Administration Building shelter serves up to 50 men each night through April 15, 2013. Staff from the Salvation Army and King County will supervise the shelter, which will be open from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. The King County Women’s Winter Response Shelter also opened on October 2nd. It is operated by the YWCA Angeline’s Center for Homeless Women with a capacity of 40 women per night.

Free ‘circulator bus’ for low-income human services clients

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To help mitigate the impacts of the end of Metro’s ride-free bus zone (on Saturday, September 29th), Solid Ground, a community human services agency, is providing free rides on its Downtown Circulator Bus for people living on low incomes and those who need access to health and human services in the downtown area. Beginning on October 1st, 2012, two large vans – one seating 19 people, the other 23 – will travel a fixed 4.5-mile route, Mondays through Fridays, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., stopping at each of the seven stops about every 30 minutes. The route starts and stops at Harborview Hospital.

 

This pilot project is funded by Metro and the City of Seattle. The Seattle Human Services Department has been working with Solid Ground on spreading the word among agencies that serve homeless and low-income people. Please click here for more information about the route and times or call 206-753-4801.