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Talking About Human Trafficking

December 27, 2019

Consider what you’ve been told about Human Trafficking. Consider how it has been portrayed in movies, television, or even some awareness campaigns. Have you seen pictures of slender wrists in handcuffs? Have you seen movies about a middle-class, adolescent female vacationing abroad when she is suddenly taken? Consider how rarely you see discussion of the invisible and coercive forces of poverty, psychological control, and isolation. The majority of trafficking situations involve such non-physical restraints, and as we enter the new year, and January’s observance of Human Trafficking Awareness Month, it is time to talk about that. The Seattle Human Services Department’s Mayor’s Office on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (MODVSA) is partnering with the Washington Advisory Committee on Trafficking (WashACT) to host a program and panel discussion including survivors, activists, and representatives from our criminal justice response to help expand the conversation around human trafficking in the City of Seattle. This event will be hosted on January 10th from 8:30am-11:00am in the Bertha Knight Landes room in Seattle City Hall.

Filed Under: Safe CommunitiesTagged With:

HSD Releases 2020 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA)

December 2, 2019

HSD is pleased to issue its 2020 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) related to the following investments: 1) Older Adult Health Promotion 2) Re-entry/Re-rooting Indigenous Community Healing 3) Food Bank Services: Georgetown, South Park, Delridge Neighborhoods 4) Supporting Youth and Young Adults for Success This notice provides an overview of HSD’s impending funding opportunities for 2020 with a brief description of the service areas, anticipated funding amounts, release dates, and contract start dates. These funding opportunities represent over $4 million in investments in nonprofit services; once finalized, HSD will issue detailed funding opportunities for each investment. The NOFA is available for download now in the Funding Opportunities section of our website at www.seattle.gov/humanservices

Filed Under: Funding Opportunities, Healthy Aging, Investment Areas, Youth Success

Severe Weather Shelter Opening Over Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend

November 27, 2019

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

Filed Under: Homelessness, Public Health

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

November 7, 2019

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 public awareness campaign about health impacts of consuming sugary drinks by supporting two strategies recommended by the SBT Community Advisory Board: a mass media counter-marketing campaign led by a community-based organization (CBO) and a youth-led counter-marketing campaign led by a CBO. The rating committees recommended fully funding The Vida Agency in the requested amount of $547,347.

Filed Under: Funding Opportunities, Public Health

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

October 15, 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. 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/.

Filed Under: Safe CommunitiesTagged With: ,

What we’re reading: System that apportions homeless housing is limiting access for people of color

October 10, 2019

Building Changes is calling on communities across the country to reconsider use of the VI-SPDAT, a widely used Coordinated Entry standardized assessment tool that helps determine who gets prioritized for housing referrals. A new study, funded by Building Changes, finds that use of the VI-SPDAT unfairly favors white people over people of color, thereby perpetuating racial inequities within the homeless system. Building Changes believes strongly that communities have an obligation to address inequities that negatively impact the efforts of people of color to transition successfully out of homelessness and into stable housing, including any barriers that restrict their access to services.

Filed Under: Homelessness

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

October 8, 2019

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and an opportunity to think about our relationships and those of our friends and family. Often, survivors of domestic violence turn to friends and family for help first, so it’s crucial that we know what domestic violence is and how to help others. Domestic… [ Keep reading ]

Filed Under: Safe CommunitiesTagged With:

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

September 17, 2019

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

Filed Under: Homelessness

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

September 11, 2019

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?

Filed Under: Safe CommunitiesTagged With:

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

September 10, 2019

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: 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.

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