COVID-19 has left 1.6 million people in Washington state struggling to put food on the table. The need is especially high in parts of Seattle and South King County. For many communities facing food insecurity, their situation has been made even more challenging with meal and food bank programs impacted… [ Keep reading ]
The City of Seattle is set to deploy two shower trailers in locations across the City to support the hygiene needs for homeless residents within their communities. King Street Station will host a shower trailer five days per week, and a mobile shower trailer will be hosted in Lake City and Seattle Center, with more locations under consideration. King Street Station will also receive a hygiene station. In addition, a new hygiene map, located on the Seattle Human Services public website, that represents all open and available facilities was launched with this effort.
The City of Seattle and King County announced a number of additional steps over the last week to further expand hygiene services and add new shelter spaces for people experiencing homelessness. This expansion of resources is a continuation of ongoing work by the City and County to bring critically needed resources to those most in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For many communities facing food insecurity, COVID-19 has made a challenging situation even more difficult with meal and food bank programs impacted by the crisis. A number of food banks have reduced hours or their volunteers are not able to come in to help like they did before. Other programs face shortages of food resources. To meet this growing need in Seattle and surrounding communities, the City of Seattle partnered with the National Guard at the request of service providers. Locally, the National Guard has stepped up to fill gaps in our food network by offering the assistance of hundreds of members in Food Lifeline‘s SODO distribution center and at several food banks in the region. Even with all of these helping hands, some of our smaller community-based programs struggle to keep up with their usual activities, not to mention the increased demands brought on by this public health emergency. After re-deploying staff to support shifts in the City’s de-intensifying shelters at Miller and Garfield community centers, and working to open additional shelter capacity around the city, the Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) has been working to find ways to ensure these important food programs can also continue to operate. This month, we began re-deploying HSD employees to support shifts ranging from food preparation and cooking, to assembling bags and packaging meals, to line management and delivering food directly to vulnerable clients in their homes. Some of our staff who are vulnerable themselves are taking on administrative tasks that can be completed remotely from their homes. We gathered photos and reflections from some of their recent work with South Park Senior Center’s senior meal program…
Mayor Jenny A. Durkan today announced that the Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) will invest more than $7 million in assistance to local programs that support food access and nutrition for older adults and people experiencing homelessness throughout Seattle and King County. This funding is made possible by federal funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act and Families First Coronavirus Response Act. These funds provide additional support for a variety of programs, including meal delivery to older adults and meals in shelters serving people experiencing homelessness. HSD’s Aging and Disability Services will expand existing food delivery programs and shift to a home delivery program model to facilitate appropriate physical distancing and meet older residents where they are. These home deliveries to particularly vulnerable individuals can serve as wellness checks while maintaining physical distance. “The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated food insecurity issues that impact some of our most vulnerable residents, including older adults and people experiencing homelessness. At the City, we need to do everything we can to help vulnerable communities access healthy and affordable meals,” said Mayor Durkan. “The incredible agencies the City of Seattle partners with are committed to meeting the food needs of our community members and closing the gaps in food access. I’m grateful for these agencies and their staff for their work to serve some of Seattle’s most vulnerable communities.”
Following Public Health – Seattle & King County’s local health directive, the City of Seattle will provide over 45,000 free cloth face coverings to vulnerable communities and agencies that support these communities, including people experiencing homelessness, shelter providers and clients, low-income older adults, and food bank staff. Throughout this COVID-19 crisis, the City and King County have made it a priority to bring supplies to nearly 30 human services agencies, including critically needed items like surgical masks, N95 masks, gowns, face shields soap, gloves, hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies, and clothing. Today’s announcement of new supplies builds on these efforts, following updated public health guidance that instructs all residents to wear face coverings in indoor public settings and outdoors where social distancing is difficult to maintain.
The Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) is pleased to announce the results of the 2020 Reentry/Rerooting Indigenous Community Healing Request for Proposal (RFP) that closed on April 14. The RFP sought applications from organizations and coalitions interested in providing services to support Native/Indigenous people returning to their communities after incarceration through Native/Indigenous-led community healing practices. These practices may include cultural, spiritual, and/or ceremonial activities such as drumming circles, sweat lodges, canoe journey, woodcarving, and other practices that focus on healing, building connection and trust, and providing a sense of community.
Despite the impacts of the COVID-19 public health crisis, the City of Seattle’s Human Services Department continues to live out its mission: To connect people with resources and solutions during times of need so we can all live, learn, work, and take part in strong, healthy communities. The work the department does has changed dramatically, with many employees stepping up to meet new challenges, volunteering, and working long hours. Here is a recap of what the team has been up to.
For many communities facing food insecurity, COVID-19 has made a challenging situation even more difficult with meal and food bank programs impacted by the crisis. A number of food banks have reduced hours or their volunteers are not able to come in to help like they did before. Other programs face shortages of food resources. The City of Seattle is committed to meeting this community need. The Seattle Human Services Department and Office of Sustainability and Environment have been working to find ways to ensure these important food programs can continue to operate during this time of great need in communities across Seattle. The City has been working with the National Guard—which can deploy hundreds of servicemembers to help work at food banks and deliver supplies—and service providers to meet this growing need in Seattle and surrounding communities. These servicemembers are often deployed to natural disasters to offer a helping hand. The National Guard is doing just that in Seattle by stepping up to fill in the gaps in our food network.
Last week, the City of Seattle and The Seattle Public Library (SPL) announced the re-opening of restrooms at five library locations, providing additional vital hygiene resources to people living unsheltered. To help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the City continues to increase access to hygiene facilities.
