Human Interests Blog Human Services

Human Interests

Seattle Human Services news and events

ICYMI: NEWS RELEASE FROM THE OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

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Standing alongside community members, public health professionals, and service providers, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan today announced the City of Seattle’s new efforts to raise awareness regarding fentanyl and counterfeit pills. The City of Seattle, in partnership with community-based organizations, will convene a series of 25 naloxone trainings to distribute 700 City-purchased naloxone kits. Naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, is a nasal spray that can be used to reverse an opioid-involved overdose. Investment in and distribution of naloxone kits is an overdose reversal medication that has been endorsed by the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American Medical Association. 

“Fentanyl and counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl are spreading throughout our communities, and we must continue to combat this growing crisis. Naloxone can reverse overdoses – these kits can truly save people’s lives,” said Mayor Durkan. “We’re working with our partners to make sure this medication can get into the hands of people who may need it, from our Seattle Public Schools nurses, to our frontline service providers, to people who work with those involved in the criminal legal system. I also want to extend my deepest gratitude to Deborah Savran, David Lilienthal, and Jed Kaufman. In the midst of their grief, they were willing to share their story to save others.”

To learn more about the series of actions to combat fentanyl and counterfeit pills, please visit The Office of the Mayor’s blog at: https://durkan.seattle.gov/2020/01/mayor-jenny-durkan-announces-new-actions-on-fentanyl-awareness/

Update: New Severe Winter Shelter Availability

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Winter Response: Jan.12 – Jan 19

SEATTLE – Last Sunday, the City of Seattle’s Human Services Department (HSD) opened the Severe Weather Shelter at Seattle Center’s Exhibition Hall. This shelter is open daily between 8pm and 7am through Monday morning, January 20. This shelter can accommodate roughly 100 adults and their pets, and no one will be turned away. The Seattle Center Armory will continue to be open during regular hours (7am to 9pm Sunday through Thursday, and 7am to 10pm Friday and Saturday) to serve as a warming center. Since opening last Sunday, this shelter has seen a steady increase in overnight stays. For more details, please visit this page.

New Shelter Resources

Thumbnail image of Sever Winter Shelter flier at Bitter Lake Community Center
Click image above to view all fliers

HSD is activating an additional shelter at the Seattle Municipal Tower (SMT), which is located at 700 5th Ave. This shelter is also available to adults and pets and no one will be turned away. People may arrive at 7pm and wait inside for the shelter to open at 8pm. The SMT shelter will operate through Friday morning, January 17. 

HSD and Seattle Parks and Recreation are also opening an overnight shelter at the Bitter Lake Community Center, which is located at 13035 Linden Ave N. The shelter will open this evening at 7pm and run continuously as a warming center and overnight shelter for families with children and people living in vehicles. Single adults and couples are welcome at this facility as well.  This shelter will operate 24 hours a day beginning TONIGHT.

Additional Shelter

King County Administration Building will offer 50 additional emergency shelter beds through Wednesday night, January 15. The shelter is located at the King County Administration Building located at 500 4th Avenue in downtown Seattle. The shelter serves people who identify as men, age 18 and older, from 7pm to 6am.

Mary’s Place also has activated winter protocols and can accommodate those with children experiencing homelessness. Mary’s Place has expanded their intake hours and are partnering with Lyft and Uber to provide transportation to families. Please call Mary’s Place at 206-245-1026 for more information.

All existing City-funded shelters have been asked by HSD to expand capacity to accommodate all people in need of safe shelter during this severe weather event. Shelter is also available in the lower level and lobby of City Hall. 

Outreach and Resources

HSD has communicated with all City-funded service and outreach providers to open any additional spaces for increased capacity during severe weather and to connect with those living outdoors to encourage them to seek shelter. The Navigation Team will continue to focus efforts on outreach and storage services during this time and will be available to transport vulnerable individuals living unsheltered to shelter.


Freezing temperatures put our neighbors living unsheltered at even greater risk, so please help the City get them into safer, warmer places.  The City and its regional partners are working to help bring people into warmer, safer places. If you are concerned about an individual living unsheltered, or in need, call 2-1-1 to assist in connecting an individual to resources. If 2-1-1 line is busy, the 24-hour Crisis Line 866-427-4747 can also provide information on warming shelters. For emergencies, contact Seattle Police by calling 9-1-1. SPD has transport vans to take people to warming centers and shelters.

For additional information, please visit HSD’s Blog, Twitter, and Facebook.

Severe Weather Shelter will open SUNDAY NIGHT JAN 12th through SUNDAY NIGHT JAN 19th

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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 – Seattle, WA 98109. The shelter will open at 8pm each night and will close at 7am.

Thumbnail graphic of SEVERE WEATHER SHELTER flier listing information contained in the blog post
Click to view flier

For more shelter options, please call 211 for help and follow @SeattleHSD for updates.

The Severe Weather Shelter is operated by The Salvation Army, and people may use the lower level entrance to enter the Hall. Referral forms are NOT required.

Bus routes to Seattle Center include: #1, #2, #3, #4, #8, #13, #32, and Rapid Ride D Line; and service is also provided by The Seattle Center Monorail running from Westlake Center, accessible by stairs and elevator from Downtown and the Westlake light rail station.

As 2019 Comes to a Close…

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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 to look at 19 highlights from ’19 that demonstrate the incredible work our teams have accomplished together – and with your partnership – over the last year:

Preparing Youth for Success:

Seattle Youth Employment Program participants celebrate at Capstone event in Seattle Center at the conclusion of their summer internships
SYEP youth celebrate at Capstone event in Seattle Center in August
  1. Youth and Family Empowerment staff conducted a successful funding opportunity to invest $4.4 million next year in 14 proposals from community organizations to provide support for youth and young adults harmed by the criminal legal system in Seattle.
  2. We have expanded the Seattle Youth Employment Program (SYEP) from summer-only to a year-round model, providing increased access for youth to grow as community leaders and prepare for future work and career opportunities by engaging in a set curriculum to build job-readiness skills as part of a cohort of youth.
  3. The Summer Food Service Program served over 175,000 meals and snacks at 114 sites this year, providing nutrition to kids so they can thrive and grow upon returning to school.

Supporting Affordability and Livability:

A Seattle Preschool Program student picks up his family's Good Food Bag
Seattle Preschool Program student picks up his family’s Good Food Bag (Photo: Tilth Alliance)
  1. The Utility Discount Program​ expanded their stellar services to bring affordability to nearly 34,000 utility customers throughout our region, and once again presented the Energy, Utility, and Resource Summit in conjunction with Seattle City Light and Seattle Public Utilities.  
  2. Partnered with the Office of Sustainability and Environment and Department of Education and Early Learning to support the Fresh Bucks To Go food bag pilot, an offshoot of the City of Seattle’s Fresh Bucks program, which delivers healthy, local produce and online convenience directly to families through the Seattle Public Preschool Program and before- and after-school programs serving low-income children and families in Seattle.
  3. HSD’s Child Care Bonus Program provided $2M in capital funding for the development of a location of the Denise Louise Early Learning Center, which will serve 300 children and their guardians annually in six new classrooms, as part of Mercy Housing’s project which redeveloped the historic Sand Point Naval Air Station into 148 affordable apartments –as well as resident services and a neighborhood health clinic.
  4. HSD granted $50,000 to Villa Comunitaria to work with the Latinx Community and South Park residents to expand their urban garden at Marra Farm. The expansion will provide hands-on learning about organics and healthy soil production, distribution, and sales of produce. The grant will support seasonal garden events; community meals at Marra Farm; and field trips to connect residents with food resources, such as local farmers markets and community kitchens.

Addressing Homelessness:

Man staying at emergency winter shelter inside Jefferson Community Center
Man staying at emergency winter shelter (Photo: Tim Durkan)
  1. Our ongoing strategic investments in homelessness helped shelter and house more people in 2019 than any other year.
  2. Critical services were surged to unprecedented levels during last winter’s storms to deliver food and supportive services to more than 1,250 people. During the worst of the storms, our partners stood up emergency shelter for hundreds of people at community centers across Seattle and HSD case managers called 700+ high-risk clients to ensure they were safe, had enough food, and had an up-to-date emergency plan.
  3. We also have had an opportunity to transform our homelessness response system by taking a new and collaborative path throughout the Seattle region. Just before the holiday break, a new King County Regional Homelessness Authority was agreed upon​.
  4. Even as we planned for new governance, staff were working with community partners to increase access and safety in shelter for transgender persons experiencing homelessness. We’ll be rolling out opportunities related to these policy improvements in 2020.
  5. In October, we partnered with Port of Seattle to extend the City’s lease at Interbay Village for an additional year.

Promoting Public Health:

Health One unit staff pose in front of their vehicle with Seattle City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, and Fire Chief Harold Scroggins
(Photo: Seattle Fire Department)
  1. The Seattle Fire Department expanded its Mobile Integrated Health program by partnering with HSD to provide case management services on more calls, including a new ride-along program called Health One which provides an instant connection to health and social services when needed and keeps resources free for emergencies that need immediate attention.

Responding to Gender-Based Violence:

Staff from City of Seattle's Mayor’s Office, Office of Labor Standards, Legislative Department, and Human Services Department dressed in purple to participate in #PurpleThursday by posting a photo to social media.
City of Seattle staff dressed in purple to participate in #PurpleThursday.
  1. Support of community-based and systems providers to carry out survivor supportive services, outreach, and prevention through the Mayor’s Office on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (MODVSA) resulted in more than 9,000 individuals and families served in 2019. That is 2,000 more than last year. Thank you!
  2. MODVSA staff also advanced work to find solutions to Tech-Enabled Coercive Control (TECC) by serving on the TECC working group, which partnered with community agencies to establish a volunteer clinic at New Beginnings that helps survivors plan their tech safety.
  3. We also led a successful effort to increase education and awareness this year through a series of events, including:

Promoting Health Aging:

Seattle Human Services staff pose for a photo before the start of Sounders FC Age-Friendly Day on September 15th
HSD staff pose for a photo before the start of Sounders FC Age-Friendly Day at Century Link Field
  1. Aging and Disability Services staff provided more Medicaid services to improve older adults’ health and safety in their homes, reaching 1,291 individuals with new services—this program is experiencing an average of 60 new referrals each month!
  2. Every four years, Area Agencies on Aging around the country develop an Area Plan, which charts the course we will follow as we seek to create an age-friendly community. The plan describes the function of Aging and Disability Services as the local Area Agency on Aging, presents relevant demographic trends, and outlines the major goals and objectives to be achieved over the course of four years. The final draft Area Plan 2020–2023 for Seattle and King County, Washington, was submitted October 4, 2019, as a result of countless engagements with staff, partners, and the community, including reviews of both local and national research in conjunction with DPE to best address the needs of Seattle’s older adults.
  3. We partnered with AARP to host the first Age Friendly Day at the SoundersFC on September 15

While not all-inclusive of the hard work of HSD staff over the past twelve months, it demonstrates the breadth of our work across our six key investment impact areas as we collaborate and perform services each day that deserve recognition. 

Please join us in celebrating these tremendous contributions toward our department results as we look towards 2020 and continuing to rise to the challenge of making a difference in people’s lives!

Your Partner,

Jason Johnson,
Acting Director

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.

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 $75,000 award to fund birth doula services for low income women

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Seattle Human Services Department announces $75,000 award to fund birth doula services for low income women

Today, the Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) announced a $75,000 grant award to Open Arms Perinatal Services to fund birth doula services for low income women of color.

“Building strong and vibrant families and communities begins with creating an environment that supports a healthy start for all babies, said HSD Acting Director, Catherine Lester. “The funding announced today will fund birth doula services for 50 low income pregnant women and their newborns, who may also be immigrant, refugee, homeless, or have a limited ability to speak English.”

Birth Doulas will provide support to pregnant women before, during, and in the weeks following birth. Services include supportive home visits in the last trimester of pregnancy, attendance during labor and delivery, and postpartum home visits after babies are born. In working with vulnerable populations, Birth Doulas also serve as cultural and relational brokers with public health and other medical providers, social services, and government agencies.

This competitive award is a part of HSD’s continuous effort to institute performance-based investments and uses data to steer the department’s resources to nonprofits who demonstrate their ability to serve the community’s most in need.   HSD seeks to ensure the City’s finite resources are being directed to programs that can best leverage the investments for maximum impact on reducing disparities.

Since 1997, Open Arms Perinatal Services has been providing strong community-based support for women through pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Open Arms serves nearly 200 women each year, supporting and caring for low-income families at a pivotal time when the positive impact is most profound – and when the cost of being unsupported can be equally profound. One hundred percent of the women served are at or below 250% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.

The Seattle Human Services Department is one of the largest contributors to Seattle’s safety net as it provides $99 million in funding through 522 contracts to nearly 200 agencies that support Seattle’s most vulnerable residents each year.  The department works closely with its community partners, including other public and nonprofit funders and service providers, to understand current and emerging human service needs, and to create and invest in a comprehensive and integrated regional human services system.

For more information about HSD Funding Opportunities and application materials, visit HSD’s Funding Opportunities webpage.

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Big Changes are Coming for Health and Human Services

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Transformation. Integration. Collaboration. These three buzz words are changing the face of health and human services. Earlier this year, Washington State, home to some of the most innovative and transformational efforts in the nation, released their health care innovation plan. The plan identifies three core strategies to improve health and healthcare while lowering costs:

  1. Improve how we pay for services;
  2. Ensure health care focuses on the whole person; and
  3. Build healthier communities through a collaborative regional approach known as Accountable Communities of Health (ACH).

In support of this third strategy, King County is convening a cross-sector, community-based partnership structure to address our significant health, social and racial disparities. Based on the premise that no single sector or organization can create lasting change in health and health care alone, ACH will provide the framework for coordination between clinical, community, and government partners. Seattle’s Human Services Department (HSD) is a key partner in ACH planning efforts which will begin this summer in preparation for a 2015 launch.

The Accountable Communities of Health is just one of the innovative planning efforts taking place in King County. The King County Health and Human Services Transformation Plan charts a five year course to affect real change, both at the community and individual levels.

To impact community level change, one-time funding is now available to support system, policy and practice change efforts that decrease inequity in the areas where health, housing, and economic opportunity intersect. Later this fall, the county in partnership with the Seattle Foundation will release multi-year investments targeted to specific geographic communities.

One strategy to impact individual level change is to improve health and social outcomes for adults with complex health and social challenges. The Medicaid-Medicare Duals Demonstration Project is an opportunity where organizations and payers are collaborating to improve outcomes for those with complex needs. Aging and Disability Services along with King County Department of Community and Human Services and Public Health – Seattle & King County are working side by side with managed care organizations (MCOs) to design a new coordinated service delivery system. The two MCOs, Regence and UnitedHealth, will assume all risk for the medical and behavioral health and long-term care of 36,000 dual-eligibles beginning April 2015. ADS will continue to provide quality case management for the MCOs while embracing their new role in achieving better health outcomes.

Transformation. Integration. Collaboration. Washington, King County, and HSD will use these three concepts to change the face of health and human services resulting in better health and better care at a lower cost.