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HSD prepares its wildfire smoke response to support people experiencing homelessness

July 20, 2021

In addition to the incredible challenges our City has faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our region has seen an increase in extreme weather events over the past year due to climate change, such as record-breaking snow fall in February, all-time record-breaking heat last month, and the severe drought we are currently experiencing across our state. The rising temperatures and dry conditions this spring and summer have contributed to a significant threat of wildfires along the West Coast and an earlier wildfire season than typical. These conditions also make Seattle more susceptible to the harsh impacts of wildfire smoke on the air we breathe. In preparation for a potential poor air quality event this wildfire season, the Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) is engaged in planning, in partnership with Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and Public Health—Seattle & King County (PHSKC), to support those living unsheltered by opening up cleaner air shelters if the need arises.

Filed Under: Homelessness, Public Health

Local Aging Services: Comment Now on Four-Year Plan Update

July 20, 2021

The draft Area Plan Update for 2022–2023 is available online at agingkingcounty.org/area-plan now through August 2. ADS invites public comment via e-mail and/or a public hearing scheduled at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, August 2, 2021. The public comment period will close at the end of the day, August 2. To sign up for public comment, visit surveymonkey.com/r/August2AreaPlanHearing. To send written comment, e-mail Karen.Winston@seattle.gov.

Filed Under: Healthy AgingTagged With:

Serving the Community: Seattle’s COVID-19 Emergency Food Response

July 8, 2021

The City of Seattle recently released a report about the 2020-2021 emergency food response during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and thanking the many partners involved in supporting our residents. Since the beginning, food security has been a top concern as the unprecedented health and economic crisis dramatically… [ Keep reading ]

Filed Under: Affordability & Livability, Healthy Aging, Homelessness, Public Health, Youth SuccessTagged With:

Safe and Thriving Communities Division Hires Its First Division Director

July 7, 2021

HSD is excited to welcome Rex Brown, who has been hired as the first director of the new Safe and Thriving Communities Division! This is a very exciting moment for the communities we serve, and Rex looks forward to meeting department staff and our community partners in the weeks ahead…. [ Keep reading ]

Filed Under: Safe CommunitiesTagged With: ,

HSD Staff Respond to Record-Breaking Heatwave

July 1, 2021

In response to record-breaking heat over the last week, City of Seattle’s Human Services Department (HSD) employees were in touch with our unsheltered and aging neighbors, worked to set up and staff cooling centers and shelters, assisted in water distribution and logistics, and prepared to serve residents in need and respond to requests from emergency operations.

Filed Under: Healthy Aging, Homelessness, Public Health, Youth Success

Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center to open as an emergency cooling shelter

June 25, 2021

With forecasted record breaking temperatures over the weekend through Monday, June 28, the Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) announced the planned opening of a 24-hour cooling shelter to provide relief from the elements for individuals experiencing homelessness. The cooling shelter will be open from 8 a.m. this Saturday, June 26, through 7 a.m. on Tuesday, June 29. The shelter will be operated by The Salvation Army with capacity for 73 individuals. Meals will be provided to guests by OSL. To support those living unsheltered in the excessive heat, over the coming days, the HOPE Team, in partnership with outreach providers, will be conducting welfare checks, handing out water and basic needs supplies, and providing other supports, including transportation to cooling centers and shelter. Lake City Community Center (15321 28th Ave NE), which has been serving as a day center, will be open this weekend and Seattle Parks and Recreation has arranged for evaporative cooling at that location. There will be extended hours of operation on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Filed Under: Homelessness

HSD Announces Awards for Food Bank Services in SW Seattle

June 18, 2021

The Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) is pleased to announce the results of the 2021 Geographic Specific – Delridge, Georgetown, South Park – Food Bank Services Request for Proposal (RFP) which closed March 24, 2021. Four organizations will receive a total of $153,307 in 2021 to support food bank services for low-income individuals and families in the Delridge, Georgetown, and South Park neighborhoods. Agencies interested in funding were asked to demonstrate their community-centered program model and cultural responsivity in providing services.

Filed Under: Affordability & Livability, Funding Opportunities, Public Health, Youth Success

Meeting Notice: Ideas and Interest in Non-Congregate Shelter Communities

June 15, 2021

The City of Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) is seeking input on the potential development of up to three non-congregate shelter communities. Tiny house villages and enhanced shelter have been effective service models that offer people experiencing homelessness a welcoming place to stay, access to essential services, and a pathway to stable, permanent housing. As Seattle seeks to continue to work for its unsheltered residents, we want to know your ideas for creating non-congregate shelter communities and what community partners are interested in getting involved. Feedback procured through community engagement will help to inform potential funding opportunities to stand-up, operate, and provide social and behavioral health services in non-congregate shelter communities in which single-adult households are sheltered in their own structure such as a pallet home, pod, or tiny cabin. Please join us for a virtual Webex meeting to be held on Tuesday, June 22, 2021 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. This event requires registration to receive the event password.

Filed Under: Funding Opportunities, HomelessnessTagged With:

HSD Releases New Funding Opportunity to Address Racism and Intolerance Toward the API Community

June 4, 2021

ភាសារខ្មែរ / 한국어 / ພາສາລາວ / Tiếng Việt / 繁體中文 / ਪੰਜਾਬੀ — added 6/17/2021 2021 Asian and Pacific Islander Resiliency Request for Proposal Asians are the fastest growing racial or ethnic group in the United States.[1] With origins tracing back to more than 40 countries,[2] each group has its own history, culture, language, and experience. Pacific Islanders… [ Keep reading ]

Filed Under: Funding Opportunities, Youth Success

Human Services Department Provides Update on Three New Tiny House Village Projects

June 2, 2021

All three projects are anticipated to open this summer, operated by the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI), and add new shelter capacity The City of Seattle’s Human Services Department (HSD) provided an update on three new tiny house village projects set to open this summer that will add over 100 new tiny house units to the City’s shelter system, serving up to 145 individuals. These projects were proposed and approved as part of the 2021 budget and build on the City’s year-long work to address the impacts of COVID-19 by de-intensifying shelters, creating new enhanced shelter space, developing two hotel based shelter programs, and standing-up tiny house villages. This spring, HSD selected the sites, completed a request for proposal process, and selected a provider, LIHI. These programs will offer onsite case management services, including connections to behavioral health supports, and to permanent housing that help end a person’s experience with homelessness. Onsite amenities will also include access to hygiene and communal kitchens.

Filed Under: Homelessness