On September 22, Aging and Disability Services, a division of the Seattle Human Services Department (HSD), received a 2020 n4a Aging Innovation Award from the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) for their involvement in the City of Seattle’s Mobile Integrated Health partnership. The award was presented on the second day of the n4a’s four-day virtual national 2020 conference.
The City of Seattle and King County are opening a temporary shelter to provide respite from unhealthy air conditions. King County is providing the building (1045 6th Ave in SoDo) and HSD will support services via a partnership with Salvation Army. The shelter will serve people experiencing homelessness and living unsheltered. Salvation Army and King County will staff the shelter. The doors will open today at 3:00pm on Friday, September 11, and the shelter will is scheduled to remain open until 8:00 am on Monday, September 14th. The days and time of operation may change based on environmental conditions.
Mayor Jenny A. Durkan and the Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) today announced up to $11.6 million in funding for shelter, day-centers, and permanent supportive housing to help pay for costs incurred during the initial phases of the COVID-19 response and to maintain higher-level services throughout the pandemic. To date, these efforts have resulted in new enhanced shelter capacity, the opening of temporary spaces to de-intensify large congregate shelters, the ongoing operation of day-centers, and support to emergency shelters and permanent supportive housing to meet public health requirements. These program modifications have minimized shelter space loss during the pandemic and have helped homeless service programs to operate safely and without the large-scale spread of COVID-19 like many outbreaks seen in other cities. Throughout the City of Seattle homelessness response network, the City’s efforts have resulted in a positivity rate that is consistent with the rate of positive tests across the general population.
With this Labor Day weekend, we say goodbye to yet another summer – although this is one we will not soon forget. As masking up and maintaining social distancing have become normal enough for celebrities to sport fashionable designs and award shows to find unique ways to present drive-in concerts and socially-distanced backup dancers, our staff at the Seattle Human Services Department are trying to get caught back up on the non-emergency tasks that would normally face us each year. As we begin the return to some of the non-emergency tasks we regularly address as a department, one “routine” item to check off on our task list is complete just a couple months later than last time. I am pleased to share our just-released HSD 2019 Annual Report with you, highlighting some of the incredible work we accomplished together—and with our City and community partners:
The Human Services Department (HSD) has recently released data reports on the City’s Homelessness Response Blog showing the performance of programs that receive City funding and the work of the Navigation Team’s outreach in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Q2 (April – June).
El Departamento de Servicios Humanos de Seattle (HSD por sus siglas en inglés) se complace en anunciar una campaña de concientización pública nueva: “Be Ready. Be Hydrated. / Prepárate. Hidrátate.” La campaña promueve opciones saludables para contrarrestar las tácticas de mercadeo dirigidas a los/las jóvenes de color por parte de las bebidas… [ Keep reading ]
The Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) is pleased to announce a new public awareness campaign: “Be Ready. Be Hydrated. / Prepárate. Hidrátate.” The campaign promotes healthy choices to counter sugary beverage marketing tactics aimed at youth of color and is funded by the Seattle Sweetened Beverage Tax (SBT). Background SBT… [ Keep reading ]
Age Friendly Seattle virtual events—Civic Coffee Hours and a new series, Close to Home: Stories of Health, Tech and Resilience—offer older adults in the greater Seattle area a weekly opportunity to stay connected. You’ll learn how local government, nonprofit organizations, and community members cope with the “new normal” of COVID-19 and a wealth of other topics. Join us to get this valuable information, ask questions, and get answers!
Age Friendly Seattle and the Saying It Out Loud Conference have announced the second of two online panel presentations related to COVID and geared to people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or two-spirit (LGBTQ+2S). “LGBTQ+2S Resilience: Are we thriving or just surviving during the COVID pandemic?” is a live panel presentation that will take place on Friday, July 31 from 1:00–2:30 p.m. At event time, log on to bit.ly/AgeFriendlyLive. No registration or log-in is required. A phone-in option is also available.
The City of Seattle’s Human Services Department has been on the ground outside and inside the CHOP since June 23 to support the City’s ongoing efforts to keep the area safe. HSD outreach staff and contracted outreach workers were on site providing outreach and social service resources to those living unsheltered or demonstrating. HSD is continuing this outreach following the closure of the CHOP and Cal Anderson Park earlier today. The area in and around Cal Anderson has historically been an area where unsheltered individuals stay overnight. These unsheltered communities have remained in the area throughout the protest. This outreach effort began following conversations between City leaders, CHOP, Black Lives Matter, and other community leaders and organizers, to ensure community members and demonstrators have access to services. June 23 through today, HSD has made 172 engagements (duplicated) with unhoused individuals, 36 referrals to shelter, and 30 connections to service providers. These figures are preliminary and provide a best snapshot of available data. Outreach staff have also made travel arrangements, provided diversion funds such as hotel vouchers and handed out basic needs, including bottled water and snacks.
