Homelessness Response Blog

Homelessness Response Blog

Homelessness Task Force progress reports

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Navigation Team: 10th & Dearborn Encampment Removal

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Following a Seattle police investigation and subsequent operation on Thursday, May 16 the City of Seattle’s Navigation Team will remove unmanaged encampments in the area along the northside of Dearborn Ave S, between I-5 and 13th Ave S starting Monday, May 20. Shelter will be available for every person living unsheltered on-site and the Navigation Team will offer storage of suitable items.

The area has been prioritized for removal due to several conditions present within the encampment such as criminality, presence of biohazardous waste, difficulty in extending emergency services to the site, and damage to the natural environment—all of which present serious and ongoing risks to both occupants of the encampment and the surrounding community.

The population living unsheltered at this encampment could be considered vulnerable and have likely been exposed to criminality and trauma. The Navigation Team takes these observations into account when engaging vulnerable individuals during outreach.

Efforts to Date

This area has frequently experienced negative impacts from unmanaged encampments and the Navigation Team and partners have been working to reduce impacts and connect vulnerable people to shelter for some time.

Since the beginning of 2019, the team has visited this site multiple times, engaging 48 individuals and referring 15 people to shelter. Some of these referrals occurred during the heaviest snows in February, when the Navigation Team worked around the clock to transport people to severe weather shelters.


Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) has provided intensive, ongoing garbage and biohazardous mitigation services to this site to reduce public health concerns and to provide more opportunities for individuals to engage in outreach services. Since December 2018, SPU has extended purple-trash bag service to 10th and Dearborn, with twice weekly collection. SPU also conducted twice weekly litter picks—where workers canvass the area picking up garbage, waste, and debris. Further, SPU installed a sharps container on-site to collect biohazardous materials such as hypodermic needles. Despite these efforts, garbage, biowaste, and debris continued to accumulate at frequent and high-levels.

Recent Outreach & Shelter

As of this Friday the team believes less than 30 people are living on site. The team will be conducting outreach and offering shelter throughout the clean-up operations, which are anticipated to take several days during the week of May 20.

  • Thursday, May 16-The Navigation Team was on-site following the conclusion of the SPD investigation, connecting 2 people to shelter while clearing the few tents associated with the SPD investigation.
  • Friday, May 17-The team inspected the site and posted notices of removal for the following week. During the day on Friday, the team referred an additional 5 people to shelter.
  • Saturday, May 18-Outreach
  • Sunday, May 19-Outreach
  • Monday, May 20–Navigation Team observed 24 people living on-site. The team has 58 shelter beds available, including spaces in enhanced, 24/7 shelter and tiny house villages.

Clean-Up

This will be a large clean-up effort including storage of belongings, bio-hazard clean-up and removal of garbage and structures from the property.  Community members can expect some traffic impacts during the clean-up.  Beginning on the week of May 20, parking will be restricted on 10th Avenue S between S Weller and S Dearborn and the street will be closed to all traffic to accommodate vehicles and heavy equipment needed for the clean-up operation.

Additionally, lane restrictions and bike lane detours along S Dearborn will be in place during the cleanup. Motorists may notice safety flaggers directing traffic along S Dearborn.  Parking restrictions, street closures, lane restrictions and bike lane detours will remain in place through Thursday, May 23rd.

To accommodate these actions, the area will be made an active work-zone and temporary fencing will be installed around the property to discourage re-camping of the area while restoration efforts are underway.

The Navigation Team will continue to monitor the area to discourage re-camping following the clean-up of the site.

Next Steps

Following outreach and the removal of the encampment, City departments will be engaging the surrounding community to develop strategies to encourage uses of the site that are safe and accessible for all members of the public. The City’s Homelessness Response Activation Committee will be briefing International Special Review District Board in June, following community outreach in the CID and Little Saigon.  At that time the City will detail short-term plans and collect feedback on possible mid and long-term activation plans for the site.

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Update regarding Camp Second Chance, Georgetown and Othello Villages

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The City of Seattle’s Human Service Department (HSD) has announced Camp Second Chance, Georgetown Village, and Othello Village will be temporarily re-permitted for an additional six months. During this time, the City will develop a long-term strategy for these sites with community input that will serve residents of villages and the surrounding community.

Homelessness remains a crisis in Seattle and the City’s responsibility is to provide services and shelter resources that are effective in helping people transition from homelessness to housing—tiny house villages have proven to be one solution within the City’s overall response. In 2018, villages City-wide served 658 unique households and exited 135 households to permanent housing, an increase of 32 percent from 2017. Tiny house villages are also one of the most accessed resources by people contacted by the Navigation Team, which is comprised of specially-trained police officers and outreach workers. moving people out of unsafe encampments and into tiny house villages that provide supportive services that help vulnerable people stabilize and find a path to housing.

Camp Second Chance, Georgetown Village, and Othello Village all reached the end of the respective permits, which can be granted under City ordinance or by temporary-use permits. As these three villages approach the permit expiration, the City began working with community stakeholders and service providers to learn about their experiences, outcomes, and impacts with the villages. During this process, the City learned that more time is necessary to include more community feedback in developing a long-term strategy for the villages.

The City’s decision grants monthly temporary-use permits to these sites for the next six months. During this time, the City will develop a long-term strategy for these specific villages, considering all options for the future of these programs and sites. In order to develop these strategies, the City will work with communities to organize meetings in neighborhoods hosting villages to learn more about how the City can be responsive to community needs and how to best serve residents of the villages. Community Advisory Councils for all villages will continue to meet on a regular basis, providing a platform for village residents, community, service providers, and City planners to address topics relevant to the villages.

Temporarily re-permitting Camp Second Chance, Georgetown Village, and Othello Villages allows for residents of these villages to continue to receive the care and stability they need to exit homelessness and keeps people from returning to living unsheltered on Seattle’s streets.  Under Mayor Durkan’s leadership, the City has opened over 500 safer spaces and HSD is committed to maintaining shelter capacity. Under Mayor Durkan, the City has transitioned all sanctioned encampments to tiny home villages. The City has also added four additional case workers and behavior health specialists.

The City has also learned that siting, developing, and relocating tiny house villages remains an ongoing challenge given property logistics, costs, and program needs of serving people experiencing homelessness. The City has also learned that providing 24/7, enhanced shelter is one of the best solutions to help people off Seattle’s streets and into safer living situations.

The extension of these villages does not impact the status of the other six City-funded villages.

Please see the Frequently Asked Questions section for additional details. If you have any questions, please reach out to Homelessness@Seattle.Gov for more information.

Frequently Asked Questions 

What does this mean for Camp Second Chance, Georgetown Village, and Othello Village?

The City will allow all three villages to continue to operate under temporary-use permits for the next six months. During this time, the City will work with community to host meetings in Highland Park/West Seattle, Georgetown, and Othello to better engage area residents and to address questions from community. During the next six months the City will develop a long-term plan for these sites. The Community Advisory Committees for each of the programs will continue to meet and provide input around operations.

What is current situation regarding LIHI and Nickelsville and how does this temporary extension play in to this?

The announcement to extend these permits does not impact daily operations of these or any tiny house village sites. The City contracts directly with LIHI to operate tiny house villages. Since 2018, the City has included a number of measures—including case management—as a requirement of our contractors to operate these villages. Additionally, transparency into how villages are managed, including resolution of conflicts among residents and staff, is a priority for the City.

LIHI’s and its subcontractor, Nickelsville, have been unable to reach an agreement to provide case management on site and measures to improve transparency into daily operations of the few villages Nickelsville manages. Further, the City has learned of concerning reports pertaining to Nickelsville’s practice of barring people from the program for minor infractions. We share LIHI’s concerns and we support their efforts to provide case management and transparency at these locations. LIHI will be taking over daily management at Othello, Georgetown, and Northlake.

Why did the City wait for these permits to approach expiration?

Over the last few months, the City has been working with community groups, village residents, community members, and service providers to learn about their experiences, concerns, outcomes, and impacts from the village program. What the City learned is that more community voices, relationship building, and time is necessary to develop a long-term strategy that best serves all interested parties.

How will the City work with the residents of these villages?
Over the course of six months the City will work with the operator of the villages to meet with residents regularly and discuss the next steps and their concerns.

What does this mean for other villages?

The City’s village program is permitted through multiple permitting avenues, including temporary use permits. The City and its partners will continue operating these villages under existing permitting authority. There are no new updates for the other villages currently.

Does this mean all villages are staying indefinitely?

No. The City is extending permits for six months at three village locations while developing a long-term plan. Other villages will continue to operate as is. The City has made adjustments at the termination of a 2-year stay as demonstrated by the decision to shift capacity away from Licton Springs—which will no longer operate by April 1 of this year.

 Is this permitting process supported by City code?

Yes. The City has multiple permitting avenues for granting uses of property for tiny house villages. The City allows villages to exist by different means including temporary-use permits. Camp Second Chance, Georgetown Village, and Othello Village will be permitted by temporary-use permits for the next six months.

What about the other villages that have permits which will expire in the future?

The other six villages are in various stages of permitting and no changes have been made in status to these sites. During the next six months, the City will be working with community, service provides, and residents in developing a long-term strategy for all tiny house villages.

What happens next with the three villages?

The City will lead a community outreach process by hosting meetings with neighborhoods that are currently home to tiny house villages. These meetings will be ongoing the next six months. During this time, the City will be developing a long-term plan for these and all villages.

 What happens during the next six months and what does a long-term plan mean?

City will work with community to host meetings in neighborhoods hosting the villages to better engage area residents and to address questions from community. A long-term plan will examine all options moving forward for the villages, which could include phasing out some sites, like Licton Springs Village, shifting capacity to existing sites, expanding existing locations, or developing new community-based partnerships.

Have the residents of villages been informed about the process and have they provided feedback?

Yes. The City has been working with LIHI to inform residents of the temporary extension of the permits. LIHI and City representatives have organized in-person updates at the impacted villages and will be working with village residents over the next six months to ensure an inclusive and robust engagement strategy regarding the future of tiny house villages.

Is the City exploring religious sponsorship for villages?

The City will consider all options, including religious sponsorship, during the six-month extension for these villages. True Hope Village is a religiously sponsored program and the City has seen early, positive results from this relationship that has served dozens of people experiencing homelessness since opening in the fall of 2018. The City has been approached by additional religious organizations to explore ways to better support the village program. Other non-City funded tiny house villages are religiously sponsored and have operated within Seattle for a number of years.

Why does the City use tiny house villages?

Villages play a critical role in the City’s response to people living unsheltered on Seattle’s streets. Tiny house villages offer 24/7 access, services, individual living spaces, communal areas, and case management on-site—all of which are some of the most requested types of shelter from people living on Seattle’s streets and have shown success in housing people.

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City Update on Severe Weather Resources

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The City of Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) has expanded emergency resources in response to the winter weather event that is impacting the Seattle region, opening over 550 emergency beds during the snowstorms. The City strongly encourages all individuals living unsheltered to utilize these shelter resources during these storms. HSD has activated the following resources for people living unsheltered:

Shelter and Warming Resources:

  • Ernestine Anderson Place (2010 S Jackson), which is operated by Low Income Housing Institute, has opened its lobby as an overflow emergency shelter. This resource will remain open through Monday, February 18.
  • Bitter Lake Community Center (13035 Linden Ave N) opened Monday, February 11 at 3pm and will operate as a shelter and warming center through Monday morning, February 18. This shelter has space for 120 people.
  • Seattle Center Exhibition Hall (301 Mercer St) severe weather shelter has been extended through Monday morning, February 18. No one will be turned away from this shelter. Medical services are available at the nearby Seattle Center Armory, which is serving as day-time warming shelter.
  • Garfield Community Center (2323 E. Cherry St) has been opened as a warming and overnight emergency shelter for all populations including families with children, and people living in vehicles. This shelter will operate 24 hours a day through the morning of Monday, February 18. People may access shelter at any time.  Referral forms are NOT required. Medical and case management services are being provided throughout the week.
  • Mary’s Place Family Shelter (312 Dexter Ave N) Open 24 hours. Call the King County Coordinated Family Intake Line at 206-245-1026 or drop in at 312 Dexter Ave N. 
  • King County Administrative Building (500 4th Ave) is open for emergency overnight and daytime shelter for adults 18+ through the week. Please check here for updates on King County emergency resources.

HSD and King County Department of Community and Health Services are coordinating with human services providers to provide housing and supportive services at emergency shelters and warming centers this week. Services include housing assessments, flexible funds to help people connect to housing and medical services.

Additional warming centers and emergency centers are open throughout the City. Please see the list for more detailed information on locations and contact information. If you are concerned about an individual living unsheltered, or in need, call 2-1-1 a resource line that can help connect an individual to resources. When the 2-1-1 line isn’t open, the 24-hour Crisis Line 866-427-4747 can provide information that the City provides on warming shelters.

Aging and Disability Services:

  • HSD staff members and community partners are calling approximately 200 “high-risk” Aging and Disability case management program clients and their caregivers to ensure that they are safe, have access to a 5-day food supply and a back-up plan if their caregiver is unable to get there.
  • All scheduled Meals on Wheels are being delivered to clients.
  • Pike Market Senior Center and Food Bank is open normal operating hours and serving meals at 8:20 a.m. and noon every day.

If it is an emergency, contact Seattle Police by calling 9-1-1. SPD has transport vans to take people to warming centers and shelters.

  • The City of Seattle’s Navigation Team and Seattle Police are contacting individuals living in unmanaged encampments throughout Seattle, connecting people to shelter. SPD has two large transportation vans and can bring people to shelter.  Over the last four days, the Navigation Team has helped 137 people come inside.

 

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Update: Mayor Durkan’s plan to increase shelter capacity by 25 percent

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Following Mayor Durkan’s announcement to increase the City of Seattle’s bridge housing and shelter units by 25 percent by creating 500 safer spaces, the City of Seattle’s Human Services Department (HSD) has worked with partners to bring resources online and available to people experiencing homelessness. With Seattle’s shelters operating at or near capacity on a nightly basis, new shelter meets a critical need to create more safe spaces for people sleeping unsheltered throughout the city.

As part of Mayor Durkan’s path to 500 new safe spaces, HSD provided funding to Virginia Mason’s Bailey Boushay House to open its doors this past November as a new shelter serving HIV positive men. The shelter serves 50 individuals 365 days a year and paired with Virginia Mason’s day medical center which provides critical life-saving treatment for HIV positive individuals. (Read local media coverage on the opening of Bailey Boushay House here).

Additionally, through a partnership with King County, Harborview Hall opened in December, serving up to 100 people living unsheltered. The overnight shelter at Harborview Medical Center allows pets and possessions, creating an important new shelter resource on First Hill. Further, the City began enrolling individuals in a new pilot program to provide housing and stability services for 40 low-income people living with HIV/AIDS and their families. The pilot, which is managed by Bailey Boushay, is designed to help clients confidentially access housing by leveraging HOPWA resources with local agencies such as the Chief Seattle Club, Seattle Indian Health Board, Center for Multicultural Health, and others.

With the opening of Harborview Hall and launch of the new HOPWA pilot, the City opened a total of 516 safer spaces in 2018, serving approximately 540 people experiencing homelessness. This increase in shelter capacity is the largest expansion of City-funded shelter resources in Seattle’s history. The following shelter resources are now available:

  • Whittier Heights Women’s Village– 16 new tiny houses, serving 22 women experiencing homelessness (Opened May).
  • City Hall Shelter– 80 new basic shelter beds at Seattle City Hall (Opened July).
  • YWCA Late Night Motel Vouchers– 40 beds through motel rooms for families experiencing homelessness, which can serve between 40-60 individuals and children each night (Opened July).
  • Salvation Army William Booth Center– 8 additional enhanced shelter beds (Expanded in July).
  • Peace for the Streets by Kids from the Streets – 5 additional beds within existing young adult shelter (Expanded August).
  • True Hope Village – 35 new tiny houses in Seattle’s Central District, serving 58 people experiencing homelessness (Opened September).
  • YWCA’s Angeline’s Center for Women– 35 new beds within YWCA’s existing day center for women (Opened August).
  • Navigation Center– 10 additional beds within the City’s first 24/7, enhanced shelter (Expanded in September).
  • Haddon Hall-75 enhanced, 24/7 shelter beds operated by Catholic Community Services and Plymouth Housing (Opened October).
  • Lake Union Village – 22 tiny houses serving 37 adults experiencing homelessness (Opened October).
  • Bailey-Boushay House– In partnership with Virginia Mason, this shelter will serve 50 HIV positive men experiencing homelessness (Opened November).
  • HOPWA pilot – In partnership with Bailey Boushay, serving 40 people living unsheltered and with HIV/AIDs find housing (Opened December).
  • Harborview Hall – 100 overnights shelter spaces at Harborview Medical Center.
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Update: Cleaning up public spaces; removing trash and syringes

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The City of Seattle makes significant investments to clean up trash resulting from the homelessness crisis. The numbers below have been updated to reflect amounts collected during all of 2018.

Removing Trash from Unmanaged Encampments: In 2017, City removed 3,205 tons (6,410,000 pounds) of garbage and waste from unmanaged encampments. In 2018, the City has removed more than 1,184 tons (2,368,000 pounds).

Trash in the right-of-way: In May 2018, Seattle began a new Citywide effort to remove garbage and debris from roads, sidewalks, and the public right-of-way adjacent to RVs. Started initially as a pilot in November 2017 in SODO, this new coordinated effort is led by Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), SPD’s Community Police Team (CPT), Seattle Parks and Recreation (Parks), Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and Finance and Administrative Services (FAS) in order to reduce negative impacts to public health and safety. The pilot is designed to engage RV occupants to voluntarily move their RVs, which allows City crews to clean and remove garbage, waste and immobile vehicles left behind. The City has collected 322,556 pounds of trash.

Encampment trash (Litter bag) pilot program: In January 2017, Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) began a pilot program to collect trash from unsanctioned encampments and from areas where RV camping is frequent. Working with other City departments and community partners, SPU gives out litter bags and conducts regular and on-call pick-ups. The pilot has collected 718,350 pounds of trash – an average of about 31,233 pounds a month.

Syringes: In August 2016, SPU launched a program to collect syringes through complaints as well as special disposal boxes in City public rights-of-way and small bathroom units in City parks. The pilot has collected more than 145,916 syringes.

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Tiny House Village Update: Next Steps for Licton Springs

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Background

The City of Seattle’s permitted tiny house villages offer a place for unsheltered people to find stability and connect to housing resources. Each night, the villages provide more than 350 people a tiny house structure that locks, access to restrooms and showers, case management, a kitchen and a managed community.

Licton Springs Village has been in operation since 2017 under a two-year City permit on property owned by LIHI (Low Income Housing Institute). The village was created in response to the lack of system capacity to serve vulnerable unsheltered men and women encountered by the Navigation Team as they engaged people living unsheltered across Seattle. All residents of Licton Springs Village were referred to the village by the Navigation Team and is part of the City’s broader homelessness response emergency investments, which has seen a 35% increase in placements to housing in the first half of 2018.

The people living at Licton Springs Village are among the most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness Seattle: 77%, are chronically homeless (which is believed to be a low estimate). In addition, 68% have experienced more than 12 months of being homeless over the last three years. Data from the Homeless Management Information System shows most residents suffer from either a disability, chronic health condition, mental health condition, or substance abuse issue.

Additionally, the program was designed to serve people for brief periods of time to provide the support, stability, and safety residents need to get help and ultimately find a path to housing. However, over the last two years, the City has learned that it takes much longer to serve such vulnerable residents; 39 of the 53 people have stayed at the village for longer than one year.

Next Steps

The two-year permit expires in March 2019. The City is not exploring the possibility of renewing the village’s permit at this location. Securing permanent housing for Licton Springs Village residents is the goal, and the City will do everything it can to ensure people are not returning to homelessness and are being placed in supportive housing or safe alternatives.

To help meet this goal over the next five months, the Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) will be adding additional case management and partner agency expertise to assist clients and connect them to housing or safer shelter, including the City’s enhanced shelter beds, which have demonstrated success in moving people to permanent housing. Further, the City is incorporating the valuable lessons from the Licton Springs Village program and applying these improvements into existing and new tiny house villages, including additional case management services in next year’s proposed budget. These program enhancements include:

  • Guiding referrals of unsheltered people to programs that most effectively meet their needs;
  • Reflect case management ratios and other behavioral and medical health resources reflective of the needs of clients;
  • Case management and active housing search efforts should be required of people who enter the village programs; and
  • Onsite enrichment programming to support residents transiting from the streets.

With an unprecedented number of people living unsheltered, the City will continue to bring more shelter resources online in the coming months and will explore all options to create safe spaces for vulnerable people experiencing homelessness.

You can read more about the City’s permitted villages here.

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Navigation Team update: Myers Way unmanaged encampment outreach, removal, & activation

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Background

The unmanaged encampment in the Myers Way greenbelt is scheduled to be removed beginning September 24th, to reduce negative public health and safety impacts stemming from the encampment and to allow the City of Seattle to launch an effort to restore the forest and natural environment.

The encampment is large, covering over 20 acres of forest with multiple living structures and abandoned vehicles. At one point this year, the City of Seattle’s Navigation Team estimated there to be 50-100 people living unsheltered in Myers Way. The population has declined over the course of the year.

Impacts from the encampment have ranged from the presence of human waste and public safety issues, to garbage and illegal dumping impacting Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) drainage systems. A partial clean-up of the area occurred earlier this year to alleviate potential SR-509 flooding concerns.

Given the scale and logistical challenges presented by this encampment, this large-scale removal required months of planning and resource marshaling to clear this forested area. The Navigation Team and other outreach providers have been working over the last months to connect people living unsheltered to the resources and shelter required under City rules. Following the removal and clean-up of the encampment, Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation (Parks) will implement a multi-month activation process to restore the forest and encourage more regular recreational use of the greenbelt.

Outreach

The Navigation Team will make every effort to connect people living unsheltered to resources and shelter—which has been assisted greatly by Mayor Durkan’s recent investments to expand shelter capacity via tiny house villages and emergency shelter.

The Navigation Team has been conducting repeated outreach to people living unsheltered in the encampment since the beginning of the year. Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) trash bag pilot has also been active on site (SPU dispenses and collects trash bags from occupants), however participation from encampment residents has been inconsistent and deteriorated over the year.

The Navigation Team designed an intensive outreach effort ahead of the removal, focusing nearly all outreach and shelter resources to the encampment during the month of September to help people move to safer spaces prior to the clean-up. This outreach effort includes bringing in multiple partner agencies to complement and expand the team’s efforts.

The residents of this encampment have been difficult to reach and connect to services. To date, the team has made over 250 contacts to people living in Myers Way, connecting less than 10 people to shelter.

However, as part of the intensive outreach leading up to the clean-up, the team successfully referred a mother and her 2 children to a tiny house village last week (September 10).  Additionally, the team successfully moved a second young family out of Myers Way and into another tiny house village the week prior to the clean-up.

Written and verbal notice of the removal has been provided to all people living in the encampment. The encampment will received additional written notice 72 hours ahead of the clean-up, per City protocols.

Because of the advance outreach, some residents have voluntarily left the encampment to unknown destinations.

 Clean-Up

The City is working with multiple agencies to conduct the clean-up, including Parks, Seattle Department of Transportation, WSDOT, SPU, Finance and Administrative Services, Seattle Human Services, Seattle Police Department (SPD), and Seattle City Light (SCL).

Beginning September 24, the Navigation Team will lead initial clean-up efforts. The team will remove living structures and provide storage of belongings for encampment occupants. The team will continue to offer services and shelter during the clean-up. This effort will likely last the entire week. During the clean-up, other agencies will begin laying the groundwork for future activation by restoring access roads and preparing the property for work trailers.

Activation

Following the clean-up, Parks will implement a temporary multi-month activation effort to restore the forest and encourage more regular recreational use of the area.

This activation includes a daily staffing of the site, overseen by City staff, contractors, and volunteers. Workers will be on site every day to restore hillsides prone to landslides, removing brush and debris, and replanting appropriate plants and trees to the area. During this time, Parks will explore other uses of the site such as a dog park area and recreation trails.

With improved access and walking trails, SPD and Parks will be able to better monitor the area during the restoration process and beyond.  The activation phase is anticipated to last from 3-6 months.

Post Removal Update

The City completed the removal of the unmanaged encampment in the Myers Way greenbelt ahead of schedule the week of September 24. Seattle Parks and Recreation crews remain on site to continue rehabilitation work, which will proceed for the next 3-6 months.

Outreach Results: The team successfully referred 16 people to safer shelter during the encampment clean-up. This was the result

of weeks of engagement to build trust and identify needs of vulnerable people leading up to the start of the clean-up. This is an addition to 3 separate families that accepted offers of shelter within the City’s tiny house villages in the weeks prior to the encampment removal. Lastly, the team brought in additional outreach agencies to help compliment engagement efforts on the ground.

Clean-Up: Major clean-up efforts concluded on September 27. Parks crews remain on site to remove brush and undertake forest restoration activities. The City estimates that nearly 400 tons of garbage and debris were removed from the site during the clean-up.

 

 

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Housing Placements Up 35% for People Experiencing Homelessness in the First Six Months of 2018

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The City of Seattle’s Human Services Department (HSD) released the results of its homelessness funding for the first six months of 2018. These results represent activity from January 1 through June 30, 2018 and show agencies receiving city funds served 18,356 households and helped 4,459 households exit to permanent housing (2,644) or maintain their housing (1,815). The 2,644 households exiting to permanent housing represent an increase of 35% (692 households) over the same time in 2017. In all of 2017, city funds helped 5,456 households exit to permanent housing or maintain their housing, which the city is on track to surpass.

“HSD began 2018 with clear goals – invest in programs that work and help more people connect to housing from all points in the homeless services system,” said HSD Interim Director Jason Johnson. “Quarterly data helps us understand if the City’s investments are supporting people effectively and identify how we can improve. We’re encouraged by the increases in placing people in housing and grateful for the hard work human service providers have demonstrated in helping vulnerable people.”

In 2018, the City of Seattle has a budget of over $86 million across more than a dozen departments to invest in services for people experiencing homelessness and mitigate the impacts of people living unsheltered across the City. HSD oversees more than 157 contracts with programs throughout the city that provide services for people experiencing homelessness. Moving people into housing (exits to housing) and/or keeping them from becoming homeless is the primary measure of success for programs that received funding through the City’s investments at HSD.

Highlights of First Six Months of 2018

  • Programs have served 18,356 households in first six months 2018, an increase of 5.4% (946 households) over 2017.
  • 4,459 households exited to housing (2,644) or maintained that housing (1,815) through city investments. The 2,644 households exiting to housing represents a 35% (692) increase over the first six months of 2017.
  • Housing programs are moving people to permanent housing at an increased rate over 2017;
  • Native American/Alaska Native and Black/African American households– populations that experience homelessness disproportionately – are moving to housing at increased rates in comparison to the first six months of 2017. Specifically, programs receiving city funds have helped more NA/AN households connect to housing in the first six months of 2018 (284 households) than in the entire year of 2017 (273 households); and
  • In the first six months of 2018, 4,071 households were served by enhanced shelters and 691 exited to permanent housing, an increased rate of 7% of over the first six months of 2017.

The Homeless Services System

Seattle invests in three primary categories for homeless services:

  • prevention (keeping people housed),
  • emergency (shelters and connection to housing), and
  • housing (permanent housing that may or may not include subsidy and support services).

Together, these create the homeless services system. Click here to read definitions of homeless services terminology.

Housing Programs are Moving More People to Permanent Housing Over 2017

All housing programs increased the rate at which they are moving households into housing or helping them maintain housing over the first six months of 2017.

  • Diversion: Diversion primarily helps people avoid the emergency shelter system by offering one-time financial assistance and case management. Of the 593 households served in the first six months of 2018, 72% of households that left the program exited to permanent housing, a rate that is 11% higher than the first six months of 2017. In 2018, HSD increased funding for Diversion programs to $2 million from $1 million in 2017..
  • Rapid Rehousing: This national best-practice which combines temporary rental assistance and case management to help people eventually assume their own housing costs, moved people to housing at a rate that is 5% higher than the first six months of 2017, and had a success rate of 80% in Q2 2018. HSD increased investment in Rapid Rehousing programs from $4.3 million in 2017 to $7.2 million in 2018.
  • Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH):The most effective housing program for high-needs people experiencing homelessness, PSH offers ongoing housing and support services for people who need long-term assistance. PSH has a success rate of 97% in helping people maintain their housing or leave supportive housing to move to other kinds of permanent housing. The success rate in the first six months of 2017 was 95%. HSD increased investment in permanent supportive housing from $9.3 million to $13.2 million in 2018 in order to help people who need the highest level of services to successfully obtain and remain in housing.

Human Services Programs Help More Native American/Alaska Native and Black/African American Households Connect to Housing in 2018

Native American/Alaska Native (NA/AN) and Black/African American (B/AA) households experience homelessness disproportionately to their representation in the population of King County. These households are seven times and five times more likely to experience homelessness, respectively.

Programs receiving city funds have helped more NA/AN households connect to housing in the first six months of 2018 (284 households) than in the entire year of 2017 (273 households). In addition to serving more people, programs have increased their rate of success in connecting these clients to housing by 10% over 2017. 33% of NA/AN households exit homeless services to permanent housing in the first six months of 2018, up from 23% in the first six months of 2017.

In the first six months of 2018, there were 1,713 B/AA household exits to permanent housing from homeless services programs, an increase of 351 household exits over last year. 37.5% of B/AA households leaving homeless services entered permanent housing, an increase of 10% over the last year’s rate of 27.5%.

“During the 2018 funding process, HSD asked homeless services providers to join us in helping more Native American and Alaska Native households and more Black and African American households enter permanent housing from homeless services programs. We are pleased to see this progress and look forward to continued improvement,” said Jason Johnson.

Supportive Services Result in Improved Housing Results

Enhanced shelters, which provide 24/7 or extended hours of services, storage for belongings, and case management, have continued to support more people in finding permanent housing. In the first six months of 2018, 4,071 households were served by enhanced shelters, and 691 exited to permanent housing, an increase rate of 7% of over the first six months of 2017. Enhanced shelters have a rate of moving clients to housing that is five times that of basic, overnight shelters.

The City’s basic shelters and permitted villages continue to be a critical component to the City’s emergency response to provide safer spaces for people experiencing homelessness. So far in 2018, they have served more than 3,750 households in the first six months of 2018. Seattle first invested in sanctioned encampments in 2015. Since this time, HSD has increased support for tiny houses, hygiene services, and case management. Residents often face many barriers to finding stable housing and are more likely to find that stability with more support services. In 2018, Seattle has expanded to support eight villages, with a ninth expected to open this fall, which provide spaces for more than 350 people per night. The City’s Villages are at capacity every night and have supported 17% of households who exit the program in finding permanent housing in the second quarter, a decrease of 5% over the same six-month period in 2017. In recognition that more services support improved housing outcomes, the City increased case management support at the Villages in the second quarter. HSD will continue to monitor the performance results of this program quarterly.

“City-funded homeless services programs are serving more than 18,356 households in 2018, an increase of over 5% from last year. This tracks with what our providers have seen – more and more people are experiencing housing instability in our rapidly growing region. Their needs are outpacing the City’s homelessness prevention, emergency and housing services capacity. HSD is pleased with the continued improvement in the system’s housing results, but a continued regional focus on creating more housing is key to helping people exit the homeless services system permanently,” said Johnson.

City Implements New Accountability and Performance Measures

In 2016, the City of Seattle, King County, and the United Way of King County adopted the same performance standards in a memorandum of understanding signed in 2016. In addition, the City of Seattle has established and implemented in 2018 new performance standards in City programs including diversion, prevention, outreach and engagement, basic day and hygiene centers, and villages. 2018 is the first year the City is implementing full accountability measures across all programs. Each of these programs have different targeted standards.

In 2018, HSD implemented performance pay for key areas of investments: emergency shelter and enhanced day centers, transitional housing, rapid rehousing, and permanent supportive housing – this rewards programs with the full amount of their contracted award when they meet performance standards. While both HSD and King County use performance pay contracting based on the adopted performance standards, HSD pays programs based on the rate of exits to permanent housing standard and King County pays programs based on the utilization rate standard.

In Q2 2018, 65% of the programs subject to performance pay contracting met the standard for exits to permanent housing. 31 of 48 programs total subject to performance pay contracting are meeting standards.

HSD is partnering with the remaining programs to develop improvement plans and to ensure that the City’s contract policies are being operationalized to support the intended result – helping more people move from homeless services programs to permanent housing. HSD has an intensive process in place to partner with the remaining programs to increase the likelihood that they will receive full payment in future quarters. HSD is committed to using any funding that wasn’t paid out to support technical assistance and training designed to help programs move more people to permanent housing.

 

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Update: Navigation Team

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Launched in February of 2017, the City of Seattle’s Navigation Team is comprised of specially trained police officers, field coordinators, and outreach workers who work every day to connect vulnerable people living unsheltered to services and safer spaces as well as to remove encampments that pose serious public health and safety risks.

Since taking office, Mayor Jenny Durkan has made important investments to expand the team’s capacity and to create hundreds of new shelter spaces for people experiencing homelessness.  Earlier this year, Mayor Durkan announced “Path to 500” which will increase the City of Seattle’s bridge housing and shelter capacity by 25 percent. A number of these new investments have opened and many new shelter resources will be online in the coming months—these resources, in addition to the City’s tiny house villages, are critical to the Navigation Team’s work to connect people experiencing homelessness with more shelter resources.

Outreach

Through the Navigation Team’s ongoing outreach efforts, the team made over 7,300 contacts in 2017 to a total of 1,829 individuals. As part of their efforts, 1,179 individuals accepted some sort of service and 675 individuals were successfully referred to shelter. To learn more, please visit this site for additional materials regarding the Navigation Team’s outreach efforts in 2017.

Preliminary figures for 2018 show the team is on pace to surpass last year’s outreach outcomes, making over 7,000 contacts to people experiencing homelessness and 474 referrals to shelter through the end of July.

Given the team’s ongoing outreach efforts coupled with Mayor Durkan’s investments in team expansion and shelter capacity, it is reasonable to anticipate the Navigation Team will successfully move more people off Seattle’s streets and into safer spaces than ever before.

Addressing Unsanctioned Encampments

Over last 20 months, the Navigation Team has learned how to best utilize outreach and removal resources to balance the needs of people experiencing homelessness and the surrounding community as allowed by the City’s published and approved protocols. The Navigations Team’s focus is on negative public health and safety impacts. With an estimated 400 unmanaged encampments throughout Seattle, the Navigation Team prioritizes encampments for removal based on the totality of the conditions within and around an encampment including removing encampments on public property.

These rules are designed to balance the rights of people living unsheltered with the City’s responsibility to maintain public health and safety. These protocols require the team to have shelter space available for all people being asked to leave an encampment that is being removed. The rules also require the team to provide written notice of removal at least 72 hours in advance, coupled with repeated offers of shelter, service, and storage of appropriate possessions. The City will remove an encampment without advanced written notice or offers of service and shelter if the encampment presents an immediate obstruction to public use of property, or the right-of-way, or presents a safety and health hazard.

Since launching in February of 2017, the Navigation Team has removed a total of 411 unsanctioned encampments. Of these encampments, 273 were given advance notice with repeated outreach including offers of service, storage of possessions, and shelter. 138 of the total encampments removed either posed an obstruction to public use, were located within the City’s designated emphasis areas, or were considered especially hazardous to public health and safety.

Below is a breakdown of the Navigation Team since February of 2017:

72 Hour Notice Obstruction/Hazards/Emphasis Area
2017 142 49
2018  (thru July) 131 89
Total: 273 138

 

To better maintain public health and safety, the team has focused on removing smaller encampments, under the City’s protocols, which pose obstructions and/or hazards to ensure sidewalks, roadways, and public spaces remain safe and open for all residents, businesses, and visitors to utilize. While this work to remove smaller encampments that pose obstructions and hazards to the public is ongoing, the team also continues to conduct intensive outreach and removals of larger-scale encampments throughout Seattle.

 

 

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Frequently Asked Questions: True Hope Village at 18th and Yesler

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New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, Truevine of Holiness Missionary Baptist Church and the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) are sponsoring a new permitted tiny house village at 18th and Yesler in Seattle’s Central District. This village will provide safer spaces to live for unsheltered people experiencing homelessness. The City of Seattle is supporting case management services and operations at the village.

At community meetings on May 22nd and June 12th, neighbors had the opportunity to engage with the sponsors and ask questions. We have posted answers to the questions that we heard most frequently below.

What is the official name of this village?

The official name of the tiny house village located at 18th and Yesler is True Hope Village.

How was this property selected?

The City is currently supporting six permitted tiny house villages. In an effort to distribute villages across Seattle, the City Council requested that District 3 be considered as well. The location was one of several sites in the Central Area and Capitol Hill that was considered.

Who is sponsoring this village?

True Hope Village is sponsored by New Hope Missionary Baptist Church and Truevine of Holiness Missionary Baptist Church.

Does this village meet the threshold for religious permitting as outlined in Code Section 23.42.054?

Yes. The Estate of Chris Demopolis (18th and Yesler, LLC) signed a lease agreement with the LIHI, which in turn assigned the lease to the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church for use in their community ministry to people experiencing homelessness. The churches will use space in a community tent on the site to outreach to the residents.

How will the physical design of the site meet the needs of the 18th and Yesler neighborhood?

True Hope Village will install a 6’ cedar privacy fence around its perimeter to be visually appealing from the exterior. Tiny homes will be attractively designed and set back 25’ from the nearest neighbors. The village’s restroom and shower facilities will be connected to City utilities and will receive regular trash and recycling service. The site will be subject to drop-in inspections by Seattle-King County Public Health, Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) and the Fire Department to ensure that all health and safety regulations are being followed.

Did the community have the opportunity to provide input on this project as it was being developed?

Yes. Two community meetings were held to share information with community members and receive their feedback. The first meeting was held on May 22nd. The second meeting was held on the evening of June 12th at Ernestine Anderson Place. Both events were well attended. Comments and questions from both meetings were collected by LIHI, New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, Truevine of Holiness Missionary Baptist Church, and multiple City of Seattle departments. Community members also reached out to each of those entities by email, phone calls, and face to face meetings to ask questions, express concerns, and offer feedback. Community feedback informed the project design and will continue to influence the project going forward.

How can the community provide ongoing input about this village?

True Hope Village will establish a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) that will provide advisory input on operations. Members of the CAC will include businesses, community leaders, immediate neighbors, service providers and others. The Committee of seven stakeholders will meet monthly and meeting notes will be posted on the City of Seattle’s Homeless Response website (www.seattle.gov/homelessness). If you would like to serve on the CAC. Please contact Josh Castle at jcastle@lihi.org or Tom Van Bronkhorst at tom.vanBronkhorst3@seattle.gov. Community members may also provide feedback to the City of Seattle via email at homelessness@seattle.gov.

What is the City of Seattle’s role in this project?

The City of Seattle’s Fire Department, SCDI, and Seattle-King County Public Health will perform periodic, unannounced inspections of the site to ensure all safety codes are being met. Additionally, the City of Seattle Human Services Department will contract with LIHI to provide onsite case management and operations of this village.

How long will this village stay at its current location?

Under the current ordinance, permitted villages on private or public land can operate for 12- months with an option for an additional 12-month extension. This site is sponsored by religious organizations–under the Seattle Land Use Code there is no time limit. The lease on the site is for two years with six-month extensions thereafter. Anticipated opening is mid-July.

Who will live in this village?

Residents will include homeless families, couples, singles, students, seniors and veterans. Homeless students will include those participating in the Seattle Vocational Institute’s (SVI) pre-apprenticeship training program and the Urban League’s Career Bridge program. Homeless families and singles will be referred by the New Hope Baptist Church, Urban League, Seattle Indian Center, the Navigation Team and others.

How can I help?

Neighbors and businesses have generously supported other tiny house villages through donations of hot meals, blankets and clothing. Please contact Josh Castle at jcastle@lihi.org for information about how you can support True Hope Village.

What is the staffing plan?

A LIHI staff person will be on duty 24/7 to monitor activities and respond to inquiries from both residents and community members. The staff will perform regular perimeter checks, organize trash cleanups, and respond to neighbors. LIHI will also provide an onsite case manager to support residents’ housing search and help connect them to other community supports as needed.

Will drug or alcohol use be permitted at this village?

No. True Hope Village will be drug and alcohol free.

Are there environmental concerns with this piece of property?

Several decades ago the site housed a dry-cleaning business that disposed of chemicals onto the ground. An environmental assessment has revealed no health hazard to people living at the site provided that sleeping structures are elevated off the ground to provide constant air flow. All sleeping structures will meet this requirement. The barrels on the site were left-over from the soil assessment and are scheduled to be removed.

Is it possible for me to tour the village?

Yes. True Hope Village will welcome neighbors and provided tours.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about how we are responding to the crisis of homelessness in Seattle