Our 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 continued to hold a greater sense of urgency in 2021. Over this past year, the Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) continued to be… [ Keep reading ]
City leaders encourage public awareness and action against human trafficking SEATTLE – Mayor Bruce Harrell and Councilmember Lisa Herbold were joined by other City Councilmembers to declare the month of January as “Human Trafficking Awareness Month,” and today, January 11, 2022, to be “Human Trafficking Awareness Day” to proclaim the equality and… [ Keep reading ]
The City of Seattle announces the release of the Final Draft 2022 Annual Action Plan (AAP) to the 2018-2022 Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development. The Draft 2022 AAP includes guidance for the allocation of an estimated $17.8 million of federal grant and program revenue funds [$9,607,578 in Community… [ Keep reading ]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Irene Stewart – irene.stewart@seattle.gov The Legacy of Love African American Caregiver Forum—an annual event during National Family Caregivers Month—is a unique, culturally focused event that draws family caregivers from throughout the Pacific Northwest. The 2021 African American Caregiver Forum will occur online on Saturday, November 13, from… [ Keep reading ]
Each year, the City of Seattle’s Office of Labor Standards (OLS) and Human Services Department (HSD) mark the month of October as a time to remember victims and survivors of abuse and exploitation; to raise awareness about violence and its effect on families and communities; and acknowledge and highlight those working to end gender-based violence. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen an increase in domestic violence reports with deep impacts on survivors,” said Mayor Jenny A. Durkan. “We can still be a lifeline during this unprecedented time, remember to check in on your neighbors who may be suffering abuse in silence. Now more than ever, it’s crucial that we help those who may be suffering by raising our voices and awareness.” Mayor Durkan proclaimed the month of October as “Domestic Violence Awareness Month” in Seattle to help raise public awareness and support for victims and survivors of gender-based violence. The City also takes seriously its responsibility to its own employees and to serving as a role model for other large organizations. In addition to sick leave, Seattle’s Paid Sick and Safe Time (PSST) Ordinance provides workers with paid leave for absences that result from critical safety issues arising from domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. PSST COVID-19 amendments also require employers with employees in Seattle to provide paid leave when their family member’s school or place of care has been closed.
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.
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.
The City of Seattle announces the release of the Final Draft 2021 Annual Action Plan (AAP) to the 2018-2022 Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development. The Draft 2021 AAP includes guidance for the allocation of an estimated $18.6 million of federal grant and program revenue funds [$9,395,488 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, $3,371,865 million in HOME program funds, $817,674 in Emergency Shelter Grant Program (ESG) funds and $3,150,304 million in Housing Opportunity for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) funds plus approximately $1.9m of program revenue] from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The City of Seattle is proposing revisions to the 2019 and 2020 Annual Action Plans to the 2018-2022 Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development. The Consolidated Plan outlines strategies to address the housing, homeless, community and economic needs of the City’s low and moderate-income residents and neighborhoods over five years.
As 2020 comes to a close, I hope you and your loved ones are healthy and as well as one can be in what has surely been one of the more challenging years we have faced as a department. Back in January, we already knew that “change” would be a theme this year. One of the city’s top priorities for the year was to help stand-up and launch the new King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA). For HSD, this included transitioning our Homeless Strategy and Investment division staff and contracts to a co-location space with their County peers, followed by CEO on-boarding and development of a staffing plan. While that work has been underway all year, little did we know at the start of 2020 that a global pandemic like nothing seen in at least a century was already underway. Not only did that slow the progress of this work, it lead to most employees shifting to work from home, being reassigned, and changing work plans. Plus significant impacts to our economy and unimaginable changes to how each of us conduct our daily lives. With homelessness response transitioning to the KCRHA, our department planned to spend much of the year redefining how it exists within the human services space. HSD planned to work with staff, service providers, and clients to co-create a roadmap for the future. This work launched in February – during Black History Month – with an understanding that race and social justice should underpin everything that we were going to talk about. The public health crisis forced us to pause that work almost immediately. Little did we know the paradigm shift coming in the summer as the support for Black Lives Matter took on new meaning for our general society and millions more people “awoke” to the understanding that it’s time to rethink how we spend our tax dollars and how our governments respond to the needs of the community. HSD staff and our community partners have been a part of the front-line response to COVID-19, pivoting programs and rising to the many challenges to help those most in need. I am deeply proud of the work we have accomplished together during this crisis. Our 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” took on a much greater sense of urgency in 2020, even as we managed our ongoing work.
