Homelessness

Frequently Asked Questions: Lake Union Village

July 23, 2018 by Homelessness Response

The City of Seattle hosted a community meeting on Thursday, June 28 to discuss the proposed Lake Union Village. This post contains answers to questions that were asked at that meeting.

How might pursuing tiny house villages impact the City’s federal (HUD) funding?

Even though tiny house villages serve similar functions as emergency shelters do- such as reducing the number of individuals living in unsanctioned encampments, increasing safety and access to hygiene facilities, and connecting individuals with services and supports to help them end their homelessness- HUD does not count tiny house villages as ‘shelter’. This means that residents of tiny house villages are still part of Seattle’s unsheltered persons count.

HUD expects cities to actively work to reduce the number of unsheltered individuals from year-to-year. In the near-term, residents of tiny house villages will have a neutral impact on Seattle’s unsheltered count. Residents are considered unsheltered prior to entering the village, and they are still considered unsheltered while staying in the village. Over the longer-term, as village residents receive services and supports to access permanent housing, these individuals will then be counted as housed, which will reflect positively on Seattle from HUD’s perspective

How is the City accountable in the usage of taxpayer funds when homeless people aren’t tested for drugs when they move into villages, apply for housing or are in housing?

Being homeless and living unsheltered makes it extremely difficult for people to access addiction treatment, mental health care, physical health care, food and hygiene services, employment services, and case management to end their homelessness.

Nationwide, cities that are demonstrating a reduction in unsheltered homelessness have adopted a model called Housing First. Under Housing First principles, permanent housing is the first priority for homeless people. Once housed, people are more successful in treating and managing other conditions, including behavioral health disorders and substance use disorders. Housing First is a cost-effective service-delivery model that aligns with good stewardship of taxpayer dollars. HSD uses housing first principles to make investments in the homeless services system.

To measure the effectiveness of the City’s investments in homeless services, HSD looks at five performance metrics. These performance measures, which are also used by King County and United Way, work together to ensure accountability and results for the public dollars that are supporting homeless response projects. The results help HSD determine whether programs are using all available resources to assist people in connecting to stable housing and shelter.

HSD presented the first quarter results of 2018 to the City Council on June 26, 2018. Overall, the homeless services programs that receive city funding are more effective in connecting clients to housing in Q1 2018 as compared to Q1 2017. In the first quarter, there were 3,030 household exits from homeless services programs that receive city funding. This is an increase of 1,241 household exits over the first quarter of 2017.

Permitted villages offer safer spaces to stay for over 320 people per night. In Q1 2018, the villages have an exit rate to permanent housing of 17%. This puts the villages slightly below enhanced shelter in connecting clients to housing (20.5% exit rate to housing) and above basic shelter (3.8% exit rate of housing). HSD looks forward to reviewing a full six months of data and results in the second quarter review. You can watch the video of that presentation here.

HSD is pleased that programs have shown improved performance, however more people are falling into homelessness than are connecting to stable housing. In response to the scope of the homelessness crisis, Mayor Durkan has proposed the expansion of shelter and village capacity by 25% so that we can provide safer living conditions for people living unsheltered and for the community at large.

How can community members express their concerns about this project?

The humanitarian crisis unfolding on Seattle streets impact all communities, in every neighborhood across the city. To better help reduce the number of vulnerable people living unsheltered, Mayor Jenny Durkan and City Council committed to this project as one way to get people into safer shelter, decrease the public health impacts of unsheltered homelessness, and increase the City’s ability to support people in ending their homelessness.

HSD’s role is to bring the project online, in partnership with the contracted provider (LIHI) and other City Departments. At all stages of project implementation community input can and does shape project design and can help address neighborhood needs. Community members are encouraged to reach out to the Human Services Department at homelessness@seattle.gov to ask questions, express support, or express concerns about the Lake Union Village. Neighbors interested in volunteering at the site or donating items are encouraged to reach out to LIHI at jcastle@LIHI.org.

What can be done to deter homeless people from outside this area from moving to Seattle?

The idea that Seattle’s challenges with homelessness are caused by an influx of people from outside the regions is untrue. A 2016 survey of just over 1,000 individuals living unsheltered in Seattle indicated that 49% of respondents were living in Seattle immediately prior to becoming homeless. An additional 36% of respondents reported living in wider King County or other Washington Counties immediately prior to becoming homeless.

The vast majority of individuals experiencing homelessness reported moving to Seattle for the same reasons the rest of the population does; having family/friends living in Seattle (35%), or for a local job (34%). The Evergrey recently addressed this here.

Can we reserve Seattle’s homeless services dollars only for those people who were living in Seattle immediately prior to becoming homeless?

It’s not possible to restrict Seattle homeless services dollars to those people who were living in Seattle immediately prior to becoming homeless. Since most homeless services in Seattle are designed to transition people from homelessness to housing, this would put the City in violation of federal and local fair housing laws. It would also leave vulnerable individuals who are living outdoors without any access services, including medically fragile individuals, those with significant mental health care needs, and families with young children.

What can be done about street lighting around Aloha/Dexter and the adjacent park?

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) does light analysis on arterial streets and Seattle City Light (SCL) does light analysis on non-arterials. An analysis was recently completed, and updates were made in the neighborhood around the Lake Union Village site. According to SCL this neighborhood has the brightest arterial lights in the city. If community members believe additional remedies are needed they can make a request through the City’s Customer Service Bureau or through the City’s Find It, Fix It mobile app.

How does SPD respond to crime problems in neighborhoods that host villages and what are the crime stats for these neighborhoods?

Crime data, including any upticks in crime, is taken into consideration when making decisions on where to assign patrol resources. Emphasis patrols have been used to address areas of concern, when appropriate.

Neighborhood-specific crime data is located on the Seattle Police Department website.

What is the progressive discipline process for people who violate the code of conduct?

Progressive discipline provides a graduated range of responses to individuals struggling to adhere to village guidelines. The goal of progressive discipline is to support individuals in being able to successfully stay at the village. LIHI case managers tailor their responses to behavior challenges to the type of infraction that’s been committed. On the low-end, this can include verbal reminders of the expectations and offering support to individuals in making the necessary behavior modifications. At the high-end, individuals can be permanently barred from the village.

What is the difference between how Licton Springs operates and how this village will operate?

The primary difference between Licton Springs and Lake Union Village is that Licton Springs is designed to be a safe space for residents with severe substance use disorders to live with the expectation that these residents will actively use drugs or alcohol. While Lake Union Village will accept residents with substance use disorders, the Code of Conduct prohibits use in public spaces. At each village residents receive case management to address housing barriers to housing, including referrals to substance abuse treatment.

Are there quiet hours for the village?

Yes. Quiet hours will be maintained from 9pm-8am.

Why not use this site for affordable housing?

Increasing affordable housing is a goal of the City’s. Given the length of time it takes to develop housing, it’s essential that we pursue a variety of short, medium, and longer-term strategies to meet the needs of our community. With thousands of our Seattle neighbors living outside, tiny house villages are able to make use of available City land to quickly address safety and housing needs of individuals experiencing homelessness.

When will the next evaluation of the tiny house villages come out?

The 2018 evaluation of tiny house villages is scheduled to be completed in August. Read the 2017 evaluation here.

What is the timeline for the village?

The goal is to begin resident intakes by mid-to-late August.

Does the City differentiate between transients and homeless people?

Seattle uses the HUD categories/definitions of homelessness;

* literally homeless

* imminent risk of homelessness

* homeless under other federal statutes

* and fleeing/attempting to flee domestic violence.

Read detailed descriptions of these definitions here.

Will people be allowed to use drugs or alcohol inside the tiny houses?

Smoking of any kind is not allowed inside the tiny houses and drug and alcohol use will not be permitted in community areas. LIHI will not search tiny houses or people for drug or alcohol use or paraphernalia.

Case managers will work with each resident on addressing their unique housing-related barriers such as employment, health needs, mental health needs, substance use, etc.

All residents are expected to comply with the Code of Conduct at the Lake Union Village.

What is the success rate of the villages in terms of moving people out of homelessness and into permanent housing?

In the first quarter of 2018, Seattle’s permitted village program shows a rate of exits to permanent housing of 17%. Villages with the most supportive services had higher rates of exits. Lake Union Village will have case management and supportive services in line with these villages. HSD will continue to review quarterly performance data for the village program.

How does the City use community input on projects like this, especially once the decision has been made to move forward?

The City uses four models/types of community engagement: informing, consulting, collaborating, and shared decision-making. The particular type of engagement that is used depends on several factors including the urgency of the project, council or legislative action that may have already taken place, and the needs of the community.

Once a decision has been made, and throughout the life of a project, community engagement continues to be important. Community feedback helps guide and inform project-specific policies and procedures, identify areas of concern, and prompts the City to seek remedies or resolutions to ensure that the project is successful for the neighborhood and other key stakeholders.

To provide input on the Lake Union Village project please email homelessness@seattle.gov. All input received becomes part of the public record for this project and will be used to help inform project design.

What will the fence height be?

The current 8’ chain link fence will stay in place. A fabric visual barrier will be added to it for privacy.

Will the Village provide for sharps containment and removal?

Yes, there will be sharps containers on site. The containers will be managed by Seattle/King County Public Health’s mobile medical van which will make regular visits to the village.

Will there be planters and other decorative features at this site?

There will be porches and planters at this site. Neighbors can donate materials and/or volunteer to help with site projects like plantings by contacting Josh at jcastle@LIHI.org.

Will residents be screened for active warrants and sex offender status before becoming residents of this village?

Potential residents will be screened for sex offender status. Individuals on the sex offender registry will not be permitted to be residents of the Lake Union Village.

Potential residents will not be screened for active warrants. Access to stable housing has been shown to increase community safety. Criminal and civil records are often cited as barriers to housing and factors in driving people to homelessness. Lake Union Village’s goal is to help people quickly end their homelessness, get the support and services they need, and enter permanent housing.

Permanent housing has been shown to significantly reduce recidivism rates for new convictions, revocations, and readmission to prison.

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

June 21, 2018 by Homelessness Response

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

City extends permit for Camp Second Chance on Myers Way

June 7, 2018 by Homelessness Response

The Human Services Department (HSD) is extending the permit for the Myers Way (also known as Camp Second Chance) permitted village to remain at 9701 Myers Way South for an additional 12 months, until March 2019.

HSD considered the following criteria in making this decision:

Is the program meeting the performance measures as described in the City contract?
1. Number of unduplicated homeless individuals/families that meet their emergency or immediate shelter needs
2. Percentage of homeless households who exit to permanent housing
Does the property exhibit physical deterioration that could pose a serious threat to the residents, neighbors or long-term uses?
Are there significant unforeseen impacts on the surrounding community that are directly attributed to the presence of the permitted encampment village?

The HSD contracted site operator, Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI), is required to utilize the Seattle-King County Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) to collect program level data. Since March 2017, when it received a city permit, 139 people who had been living unsheltered have been served at Camp Second Chance. In addition, the data shows that 26% of people who have left the Camp, exited to move into permanent housing.

HSD, in conjunction with other city entities, has determined the property at 9701 Myers Way South is not exhibiting physical deterioration, and the property is safely hosting this village.

Camp Second Chance is operating well at this location and should remain in place for an additional 12-months.

Frequently Asked Questions about Myers Way/Camp Second Chance Permitted Village:

Who operates Camp Second Chance?

The Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) contracts with the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) to operate seven permitted villages across the City. LIHI works with the leadership at Camp Second Chance to manage the daily operations at the Camp. LIHI ensures that security measures are followed and that residents have access to resources that meet their fundamental needs, in addition to supporting a case manager who helps residents connect to housing.

What rules do the residents of Camp Second Chance have to follow?

Camp Second Chance is required to operate under two HSD approved plans. The management plan outlines program rules, resident code of conduct and rights, security and public health protocol, partner decision-making, coordination and communication, data collection procedures, and community relations. The service plan describes the case management and referral procedures to help residents access on and offsite resources.

How much does it cost to operate Camp Second Chance?

HSD contributes $936,000 toward the annual operating costs of three permitted villages – Camp Second Chance, Licton Springs and Georgetown. HSD’s contribution towards Camp Second Chance is almost $200,000 in 2018.

How does the City measure the effectiveness of permitted villages?

HSD contracts with LIHI to provide safer spaces to live for unsheltered people and to help people connect to housing while living in villages. Camp Second Chance served 139 households in 2017 and assisted 26% of households that exited the camp to enter permanent housing.

HSD looks at five performance measures , which partners King County and United Way of King County also use, when analyzing the effectiveness of our investments. These performance measures help HSD determine whether the system is efficient, providing good services, and helping the most in need. In the first quarter of 2018, Seattle’s permitted villages were at capacity, indicating that permitted villages are working to accommodate as many clients as they can every night. HSD will continue to monitor the outcomes of all its investments in the homeless services system.

What can the City do to address the conditions at the unmanaged tent encampments that are in the greenbelt across from Camp Second Chance?

As neighbors know, people have lived unsheltered in the greenbelt along Myers Way for many years. As the crisis of homelessness has grown in Seattle, so have unmanaged tent encampments across the City, including Myers Way.

Clean-ups at unmanaged encampments are prioritized based on public health and safety conditions. The City also takes into consideration documented criminal behavior and obstructing use of public space, like blocking a sidewalk or sleeping in a picnic table shelter in a park, as part of this prioritization. Upon receiving reports, specially trained Navigation Team staff visit the site to assess the conditions. Encampments are then scheduled for removal based on the totality of conditions observed within the encampment.

The steep incline and soft soil conditions of the Myers Way greenbelt make it difficult to fully remove debris and waste during the fall and winter months. To address the conditions of the unmanaged encampments in the greenbelt, the City has taken the following actions:

The Navigation Team, a cohort of police officers and homeless outreach workers, has visited a site near the SR-509 service road and WSDOT drainage system weekly since February 2018 to perform outreach. One person chose to move to the permitted encampment in Georgetown.
WSDOT and the City of Seattle cleaned an accessible portion of this encampment to address conditions associated with increased flood risks in early March. The City works closely with WSDOT at a variety of sites, both to take advantage of WSDOT crews and to address WSDOT operational concerns.
Seattle Public Utilities has picked up garbage weekly at unmanaged encampments along Myers Way since May 2017.
Councilmember Herbold joined the Navigation Team on an outreach visit in the greenbelt in March.
The Navigation Team and WSDOT are monitoring the condition of the encampments and the ability of cleanup crews to work safely on the muddy slopes. Cleanup will proceed when conditions are reliably safe for this work.

City staff will continue to assess unmanaged encampment sites and prioritize clean up based on their health and safety conditions.

Human Services Department releases 2018 first quarter results from investments

May 31, 2018 by Homelessness Response

Figures for first quarter of 2018 indicate City investments are housing more people

The City of Seattle’s Human Services Department (HSD) released the results of its homelessness funding for the first quarter (Q1) of 2018. There were 3,030 households who moved into permanent housing or maintained their housing through city investments in homeless services system in Q1 2018. This is an increase of 1,241 households over Q1 2017. In 2018, the department has a budget of $71 million to oversee more than 155 contracts with 39 agencies throughout the city who provide services for people experiencing homelessness.

“We are working with agencies every day to oversee the city’s public investments to help people experiencing homelessness. We compile quarterly data to help us understand how our investments are performing as part of a system of support for people.” said HSD Interim Director Jason Johnson. “We’re encouraged by the increases in placing people in housing and in the investments to enhance shelters with more services.”

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 HSD’s 2018 funding process.

Highlights of Q1 2018 Results

3,030 households were housed through city investments;
Housing programs are moving people to permanent housing at an increased rate over 2017; and
Both enhanced shelters and housing programs that include supportive services such as case management help more people move into housing

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 view homeless services system definitions).

Housing Programs are Moving People to Permanent Housing at Increased Rates Over 2017

All housing programs increased the rate at which they are moving households into housing or helping them maintain housing over Q1 2017. (click here for descriptions of these programs).

Rapid Rehousing: This national best-practice of short-term rental assistance until people can assume their own housing costs, moved 10% more people to permanent housing over Q1 2017, and had a success rate of 83% in Q1 2018. In 2018, HSD increased funding for this program to $7.2 million from $4.3 million in 2017.
Diversion: The Diversion housing program, which primarily helps people avoid the emergency shelter system, moved 19% more people into housing over Q1 2017 and had a success rate of 80.5%. In 2018, HSD increased funding for Diversion programs to $2 million from $1 million in 2017.
Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH): The most effective housing program for chronically homeless people, PSH offers ongoing housing subsidy and support services. Because these units are so heavily subsidized, there is has a success rate of 99% in helping people maintain their housing or leave supportive housing to move to other kinds of permanent housing. The success rate in Q1 2017 was 98%. HSD increased investment in permanent supportive housing from $9.3 million to $13.2 million in 2018 in order to help people who need ongoing assistance from falling into homelessness.

Enhanced Shelters Help Five Times More People Move to Permanent Housing

Enhanced shelters, which provide such services as extended hours and case management with social workers, connect people with permanent housing at five times the rate of basic mat shelters.

Enhanced Shelters have increased their rate of moving people into permanent housing by 3.7 % over the first quarter of 2017. Basic shelters have an exit rate of 3.8% to permanent housing in Q1 2018, while enhanced shelters have a success rate of 20.5%.

In 2018, HSD supports 1773 shelter beds, 67% of which provide enhanced services.

City-permitted Villages provide tiny house structures and amenities for unsheltered people. Seattle supports seven villages, which provide spaces for more than 300 people per night. The City’s Villages are at capacity every night and have supported 17% of households in finding housing in the first quarter, a slight decrease of 1% over Q1 2017. However, HSD has been the investing in the management of these Villages to include enhanced services like case management in 2018 and should see this number increase in the year ahead.

“More and more people are experiencing housing instability in our rapidly growing region and their needs outpace the City’s homelessness prevention, emergency and housing services capacity. Continued focus on improving access to supportive services in shelters, villages and housing programs, while also focusing regionally on creating more housing is key to helping people exit the homeless services system permanently,” said Johnson.

HSD will continue to monitor the homeless response agencies it funds and drive towards results. Specifically, HSD is interested in improving the rate of exits to permanent housing for prevention projects, which decreased from a 94% rate of keeping people housed in 2017 to an 89% in Q1 2018. “HSD is working with several new programs that were ramping up in the first part of 2018, so we are looking for that area to improve,” said Johnson. Additionally, programs have 90 days to offer support through prevention programs, so clients who were successful at the end of the first quarter won’t be captured in the data until the second quarter.

NOTE: The City-funded agencies’ first quarter results will be combined with King County’s and made available on the All Home King County website http://allhomekc.org/ by June 11th, 2018

Efforts to clean-up trash and syringes

May 30, 2018 by Homelessness Response

As the City moves more people living unsheltered into safer places, we are also working to restores spaces that were previously homeless encampments into safe, clean spaces. City makes significant investments to clean up trash and waste resulting from the homelessness crisis:

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 260 tons (294,000 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. In the first month, the City has collected nearly 34,270 pounds of 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. Since the pilot began, SPU has collected nearly 500,000 pounds of trash – approximately 27,800 pounds a month.

Syringe collection program: 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. Since it launched in August 2016, SPU has collected 70,934 syringes.

Mayor Durkan to increase Seattle’s Bridge Housing and shelter capacity by 25 percent to bring more people inside

May 30, 2018 by Homelessness Response

To help people experiencing homelessness get into safer places where they are more likely to access services, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan today announced a new plan to increase the number of bridge housing and shelter units in the next 90 days by 25% to serve an additional 522 people every night.

“People rightfully say: we are and must be a better city than this. Thousands of people are living outside of our system and unsheltered. We all see some of the worst imaginable conditions – people are living among rats, needles, human waste, and garbage. And every three days, someone without a home dies in this City. We must act to move people off the streets and into safer, more stable places where they can more easily access the services they need,” said Mayor Durkan.

“I support the Mayor’s efforts to provide more immediate shelter, and King County is working in partnership with its cities to add more shelter and housing capacity throughout the county so people experiencing homelessness have a safe and secure place to rebuild their lives. Providing alternatives to tents and RVs is an important step to tackling homelessness, and we must also continue to focus on root causes to truly make a difference in our communities,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine.

Pending final approval by City Council, Mayor Durkan’s proposal would increase the number of bridge housing and shelter units in the next 90 days by 25%. Her plan would serve an additional 522 people every night by:

Expanding enhanced shelter capacity to serve an additional 180 people;
Creating bridge housing at Haddon Hall serve 100 people through a master lease;
Expanding City Hall’s basic shelter serving 120 people each night;
Supporting of Whittier Heights Women’s Village, a tiny home village serving 19 chronically homeless women; and
Opening 54 tiny homes in South Lake Union and 30 new tiny homes at 18th and Yesler following community engagement and site approval. These tiny homes would serve approximately 103 people.

In addition, Durkan’s plan will provide funding for 163 basic shelter beds set to close at the end of May. Currently, the City of Seattle operates 2,032 shelter beds. This includes 1,185 enhanced shelter beds, 259 units in tiny home villages, and 588 basic shelter beds. However, the City-funded shelters and sanctioned encampments are at or near capacity; they are at least 93% full every night.

In January 2018, Mayor Durkan proposed her “Building a Bridge to Housing for All” legislation to create additional bridge housing and shelter options as well as affordable housing. Passed unanimously by City Council in February and signed by the Mayor, it called for a Bridge Housing Investment Strategy to increase our capacity to quickly and cost-effectively move people experiencing homelessness to safety through new bridge housing and shelter.

Mayor Durkan is proposing to create new resources to bring people off the streets and into safer places through a variety of strategies. Because enhanced shelters are more successful at exiting more people to permanent housing, Mayor Durkan’s proposed investments are focused on building more capacity at enhanced shelters. Mayor Durkan’s plan would also provide dedicated beds to serve individuals living unsheltered referred by the City’s Navigation team as well as approximately 120 families and children. Providing more capacity for people living unsheltered to move into safer places like enhanced shelters and tiny home villages will also make it easier for them to access services including substance use treatment, mental health care, food, employment support, and case management professionals.

“Mayor Durkan recognizes that ‘we’re all better off when we’re all better off,’” said Councilmember Sally Bagshaw, District 7 – Pioneer Square to Magnolia. “I am grateful for her understanding of the desperate needs of our neighbors who we see every day sleeping in tents and cardboard on our City’s streets and knowing that there’s a better way to care for people and improve lives in our city. Today’s announcement responds both to the needs of people on the street as well as to demands of our housed neighbors. This is a big step toward the regional response we seek.”

“We must be unrelenting in our efforts to expand temporary and long-term housing options for individuals and families experiencing homelessness,” said Councilmember M. Lorena González, Pos. 9 – Citywide. “This expansion of shelter options is a demonstration of the City’s commitment to the need to invest across the spectrum of homeless services and housing that will make a measurable impact on reducing the amount of human suffering people experience on our streets every single day and night. This short-term strategy, coupled with investments in the creation of deeply subsidized affordable housing, is part of the solution to addressing homelessness. I continue to welcome a partnership with Mayor Durkan, my colleagues, regional leaders and service providers to effectively chart our path out of the current homelessness crisis in Seattle and the region.”

“To simultaneously address the crises of rising rents, opioid addiction, and an underfunded mental health system, we need both short- and long-term solutions,” said Councilmember Mike O’Brien, District 6 – Northwest Seattle. “I believe that the Mayor’s effort is a step in the right direction towards the large-scale effort this City needs to meet the emergency shelter needs of community members. In addition to today’s steps, we will simultaneously need to increase our production of affordable housing units to permanently house people.”

“It’s immoral that in Seattle thousands of people are living outside. We must act with urgency and compassion to create the shelter and supportive housing needed now. Until we build significantly more affordable housing, expand shelters, and reduce the number of people entering homelessness, people will continue to suffer needlessly and die on Seattle’s streets,” said Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, Pos. 8 – Citywide. “Today is a small but important piece of the puzzle to provide shelter to those without homes in our city.”

Under Mayor Durkan, the City of Seattle is also continuing their investments in preventing homelessness. Earlier this year, Mayor Durkan launched the Seattle Rental Housing Assistance Pilot Program, which will serve approximately 1,000 low-income households to provide a range of critical resources, including rental assistance and utility discounts as applicable.

“Helping people experiencing homelessness takes a full range of options—from keeping people in the housing they have to helping people living on the streets get the support and services they need to move back in to housing,” said Jason Johnson, Interim Director of the City’s Human Services Department. “I am thankful that through Mayor Durkan’s leadership we can focus on increasing access to safer spaces that match people with the best support options for their individual needs.”

City of Seattle invests in emergency services and programs to help homeless women

February 10, 2018 by Homelessness

The City of Seattle is nearly doubling its funding for homeless services in 2018 to help women find and maintain stable housing. Women are most often served in homelessness prevention, diversion and rapid rehousing programs. Over 65% of the households served by these programs are led by women.

The City of Seattle also supports emergency services for women experiencing homelessness. Seattle and Catholic Housing Services have partnered in funding the Women’s Referral Center which connects over 850 women to shelter and supportive services every year. In our city-funded emergency shelters, of which over 60% serve women and their partners or families, the Human Services Department is working to ensure that 100% of shelter beds are filled every night.

Investments in women’s emergency services

The Women’s Referral Center – serving 867 women in 2018 – helps homeless women connect to shelter and resources throughout Seattle. It is fully funded through 2018.
Mayor Jenny Durkan’s Building a Bridge to Housing for All commits to opening a new bridge housing village for chronically homeless women by May 31, 2018.
68% of city-funded emergency shelters serve women.
HSD is partnering with women’s shelter providers to ensure that 100% of shelter beds are filled every night.
Seattle invests $1.4 million in transitional and permanent housing programs for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
SHARE/WHEEL – a shelter provider – will receive City-funding through June and has indicated they will raise private funds to remain open to provide overnight shelter to people experiencing homelessness.

Investments in services that benefit women

Increased funding for programs that prevent or divert people from becoming homeless. and programs that rapidly re-house women who have become homeless.
Seattle has more than doubled funding to homelessness prevention and diversion programs
Seattle has increased rapid rehousing services by more than $1 million

Service	Percentage of Female Households of Total Served	2017 Funding	2018 Funding
Homelessness Prevention	65%	$1.2 million	$2.5 million
Homelessness Diversion	68%	$737,000	$1.9 million
Rapid Rehousing	72%	$2.9 million	$4.3 million

Hygiene services for people experiencing homelessness

February 6, 2018 by Homelessness

2018 City-funded Hygiene Services

In 2018, Seattle is investing in homeless services that help people find and maintain stable housing. More emergency shelters are including basic hygiene services like showers and laundry to reduce the burden of people experiencing homelessness having to go door-to-door to meet basic needs.

21 of 22 shelter programs include hygiene services in 2018

Seattle increased its investment in 21/22 shelters that provide hygiene services like showers, restrooms, and laundry as well as other amenities like extended stay hours, storage, and case workers.
These shelters will serve over 1,400 people per night in 2018.
Enhanced shelters provide more of a “one-stop shop” approach to reduce the door-to-door burden for people already in crisis to meet their basic needs like eating breakfast, taking a shower, doing laundry, and sleeping.
6 managed encampments provide hygiene services for up to 300 people per night.

Seattle supports standalone restrooms, showers, and laundry for people experiencing homelessness

11 Day Centers offer hygiene services for drop-in clients in Seattle
- All populations are served by these day centers. (Youth/Young Adults, Single Males/Females, Couples, Families with Children)
3 Low Income Housing Institute Urban Rest Stop locations offer hygiene services in Ballard, downtown Seattle and the University District
4 Community Centers offer showers and restrooms (Delridge, Green Lake, Miller, Rainier) to people experiencing homelessness
7 Community Pools offer showers and restrooms for Seattle Public School children and their families experiencing homelessness
These 11 Community Centers and Community Pools are located throughout Seattle, in every district

Seattle supports 117 restrooms available to all members of the public

5 portable toilets placed near public transportation stops in neighborhoods throughout the city
27 public libraries throughout Seattle
85 city parks throughout Seattle

We applaud our partners that help provide these necessary services for people experiencing homelessness in Seattle. People need emergency services to help them recover from homelessness and find permanent housing. Seattle supports co-locating these services so that people can focus on their next step – finding a home.

Mayor Durkan proposes “Building a Bridge to Housing for All”

January 18, 2018 by Homelessness Response

In her first major legislation, Mayor Durkan proposed “Building a Bridge to Housing for All,” a plan to sale an underutilized City property to address Seattle’s affordability and homelessness crisis. Her plan would leverage $11 million from the sale of an underutilized City property to create urgently needed bridge housing for those in our community experiencing homelessness and to support households on the verge of homelessness, while also reinvesting in essential City services.

“With too many families pushed out the city and too many people living on our streets, we need to take urgent action to help those unsheltered and on the verge of homelessness. Leveraging one City property, we can provide essential services and attack our affordability crisis,” said Mayor Durkan. “There’s no quick or simple solution to solving this urgent challenge, but we can focus our efforts to rapidly deploy cost effective shelters to move people out of doorways and tents and into safer spaces.”

Mayor Durkan’s legislation is co-sponsored by four Councilmembers including Council President Bruce Harrell (District 2, South Seattle, Georgetown), Councilmember Rob Johnson (District 4, Northeast Seattle), Councilmember Debora Juarez (District 5, North Seattle) and Councilmember Sally Bagshaw (District 7, Pioneer Square to Magnolia).

“For years, I’ve been committed to creating more emergency housing options, and this investment will make significant progress to build more bridge housing for people on our streets or for those who are struggling on the edge of homelessness. Mayor Durkan’s proposal has strong support from the City Council because it will do what we’ve been trying to do for years: address the affordability crisis from many angles, moving people into and through managed shelter into respectful permanent housing,” said Councilmember Sally Bagshaw (District 7, Pioneer Square to Magnolia).

“Leveraging the proceeds of this sale to help solve our homelessness crisis is a good and necessary investment. By funding new shelter and housing options and also including a payment to Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA), I am happy to see that these dollars would address both short and long term housing needs. I look forward to learning more about how the proceeds of this sale will help house our unsheltered neighbors and keep people in safe and stable housing,” said Councilmember Rob Johnson (District 4, Northeast Seattle).

“I’m proud Mayor Durkan has chosen housing – one of our city’s most obvious and dire needs – as one of her first initiatives as Executive. I look forward to collaborating with my Council colleagues to further develop this legislation and other bills intended to address our affordability crisis head on, and to meet the needs for women and others who are more exposed and face greater threats than most others when living without shelter,” said Councilmember Debora Juarez (District 5, North Seattle).

This one-time investment would leverage $3.5 million for essential City services and $10.7 million for affordable housing, safer spaces for those without shelter, and provide housing stability for households on the verge of homelessness. The sale of the property located at 1933 Minor Ave. is expected to close in summer 2018. Mayor Durkan’s proposal includes:

Investing $5.5 million in a Bridge Housing Investment Strategy to increase our capacity to quickly and cost-effectively move people experiencing homelessness to safety through new bridge housing and shelter. Several options of bridge shelter or bridge housing will be examined including but not limited to mass shelter tents, hard sided tents, wood-frame sheds, portable modular bunkhouses or cabins, backyard cottages, and the master leasing of existing apartments. This strategy will kick off with a project to serve chronically homeless women in our community by the end of spring 2018 with additional solutions to be deployed later this year;
Investing $2 million to maximize housing options for those on the verge of homelessness by piloting a Seattle Rental Housing Assistance Pilot Program;
Reinvesting $2.5 million into our City’s communications capabilities including the relocation of the Seattle IT’s Communication Shop and a new lease;
Investing $1 million for design and pre-planning costs for a new Seattle Fire Department facility; and,
An upfront Mandatory Housing Affordability payment of $2 million, for affordable housing. The City will be able to leverage the full payment of approximately $7.7 million several times over through other funding sources.

You can view the full “Building a Bridge to Housing for All” Fact Sheet here.

One stop care: consolidating hygiene with other services to reduce door-to-door-to-door burden

January 10, 2018 by Homelessness Response

Imagine traveling with all your belongings piled in bags, and carrying them to one agency for a shower, to another for laundry, and still another for a mat to sleep on. This is what many people experiencing homelessness must do on a daily basis to get these and other needs met.

In 2018, the Human Services Department (HSD) has increased funding for enhanced shelters which offer hygiene services for their clients, plus support like case management, onsite amenities, and extended hours to help consolidate some of the services being offered to people experiencing homelessness.

Of the 1,464 City-funded shelter beds in 2018, 85% are enhanced shelter beds, an increase of 561 over 2017, and 15% are mats-only shelter beds. While some mats-only shelters offer additional services to clients, most do not, which means that many people experiencing homelessness are forced to go door-to-door to tend to basic needs.

The City has increased its investment in enhanced shelters to provide places to rest and tend to daily survival needs. In fact, 21 of 22 shelter programs funded in 2018 will include hygiene services. Across all homeless services programs, 88% of programs provide hygiene support – a 6% increase over 2017.

Helping people find and maintain stable housing is the key to addressing the crisis of homelessness. Because enhanced shelters with services are much more effective than mats-only shelters in helping people find housing, HSD encouraged overnight shelter and day center providers that applied for City funding to work together to provide extended-hours and services to people experiencing homelessness. We are pleased with the providers’ response and creativity to offer these one-stop care locations.

HSD is also supporting the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) Urban Rest Stop program with $540,000 to provide standalone hygiene services, such as showers, toilets and laundry services. These funds support Urban Rest Stop locations in Ballard, the University District, and downtown Seattle.

The City of Seattle is supporting a homeless services system that focuses on helping people find and maintain stable housing. With finite resources, the City is investing in programs, like enhanced shelters, that provide connections to housing for people experiencing homelessness. Programs that do not provide an intentional connection to housing were not prioritized for City funding this year. To help clients transition to other services, HSD has created a bridge funding plan to assist programs that were not awarded 2018 City funding. Two standalone hygiene programs will receive support through March 18, 2018. Because the City is not the sole funder for homelessness programs, agencies may choose to look for funding from an alternate sources to continue providing standalone hygiene services.