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Addressing homelessness
Addressing homelessness is important because it is a bellwether for our society. It tells us if our education system is working, our criminal justice system is working, our physical and mental health systems are working, and whether we are providing our community members the support and opportunities they need.
Stephen V. Sundborg, S.J.
President, Seattle University
Member of CEH Governing BoardThe Committee to End Homelessness (CEH) is a broad coalition of government, business, faith communities, nonprofits, and homeless advocates working together to implement the Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness in King County.
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The Homeless Youth & Young Adult Initiative
The Homeless Youth and Young Adult Initiative is King County's community-wide response to prevent and end homelessness among young people. The Initiative is led by the King County Committee to End Homelessness, richly advised by agency and government leaders, supported by private philanthropy and the public sector, and grounded in the voices and input of homeless and formerly homeless young people.
Visit the Youth & Young Adult Initiative webpage for more information about the initiative! -
Single Adult Shelter
As a result of the Ten Year Plan Mid-Plan Review, a Single Adult Shelter Task Force was convened to explore how to transform the current adult shelter system towards one that emphasizes placement into permanent housing. On April 23, the Task Force presented their final report. Highlights include:
1. 1,704 individual adult shelter beds are available every night. Shelter capacity expands in the winter (adding 450-700 beds).
2. The vast majority (91%) of these beds are in Seattle.
3. In 2011, about 7,500 individuals accessed adult shelter beds in Seattle and King County.
4. The majority of shelter residents stay briefly - 60 days or less. A much smaller group (less than 10%) is staying much longer. They are older with higher rates of disability.
Recommendations:
1. Increase shelter capacity in order that shelter can act as a point of engagement.
2. Target resources to assist long-term stayers into housing, freeing up beds and increasing capacity within the existing shelter system.
3. Increase investment in affordable and homeless housing appropriate to this population. The full report can be found here. -
2011 Annual Report – Steady Steps Forward
A Roof Over Every Bed In King County. It’s not just the title of our Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness; it’s our community goal.
Seven years ago, we adopted an ambitious plan to end homelessness in King County. It called for the creation of 9,500 new housing units, an increase in prevention programs to keep people from becoming homeless, and treatment and support services to break the cycle between hospitals, jails and the streets. Read more..
Now recruiting: Committee to End Homelessness Project Director
King County is seeking a new Project Director for the Committee to End Homelessness to provide leadership and direction for the regional plan to end homelessness in King County. The director will have responsibility for bringing together a wide range of partners and interests to develop and support work and priorities to end homelessness and serve as spokesperson for the Ten Year Plan. The position is open until filled.
Shelter beds extended through summer: City of Seattle shelter beds to stay open through Sept. 30
Mayor Mike McGinn formally announced that shelter locations providing beds for 115 individuals slated to close on June 15 will remain open through September 30, offering a safe place for men and women needing overnight emergency shelter.After September 30, the regularly scheduled operations of the winter shelters go into effect from October 1, 2013 through March 31, 2014.
Shelter extensions through September 30, 2013 include:
- Seattle City Hall: Serving adult men and women, located on Fourth Avenue between James and Cherry streets. Shelter doors open at 7 p.m. Capacity is 75 people.
- Angeline’s Center for Homeless Women: Serving women only, located at 2030 Third Avenue. Intake begins at 6 p.m. Capacity is 40 women.
| CEH in the news… |
| Change of Plan
Rossette Royale, Assistant Editor, Real Change, 10/17/12 After seven years in charge of the Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness, Bill Block moves on. |
| Op-ed: Homeless programs alone not enough to get people off the streets
Seattle Times, 9/30/12 The Committee to End Homelessness in King County has helped thousands of people get off the streets and into homes. There is so much more left to be done, writes guest columnist Bill Block. |
| Q & A: Bill Block on the 10-year plan to end King County homelessness
Seattle Times, 9/1/12 Bill Block is stepping down after seven years leading the King County Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness. The Seattle Times sat down with Block for an interview about what the region has accomplished and whether the goal can be reached. |
| Bill Block's work improved thousands of lives
Seattle Times, 8/17/12 Bill Block, project director for the Committee to End Homelessness, leaves his job with a legacy of tireless innovative work that has improved thousands of lives. |
| King County Receives Large Grant To Keep Youth Off The Streets
Meghan Walker, KUOW, 8/16/12 King County received a large grant to help tackle youth homelessness. The money will be used to prevent young people from living on the streets. |
| Committee to End Homelessness director to step down
Seattle Times, 8/15/12 Bill Block, a pivotal figure in efforts to manage and curtail homelessness in the region, will step down as project director of the Committee to End Homelessness. |
| The State Of Homeless Youth
Ross Reynolds, KUOW, The Conversation, 8/9/12 A recent tally of homeless young people in King County found nearly 700 people under the age of 25 without permanent housing. Seattle has become one of the nation's hotspots of youth homelessness. |
| New Mental Health Crisis Facility To Serve King County
Patricia Murphy, KUOW, 8/1/12 High–profile violent incidents involving the mentally ill often grab headlines. But in reality, most people living with mental illness don't act out in such extreme ways. |
| Chinatown ID crisis center an alternative to jail or ER
Seattle Times, 8/1/12 On Monday, a 16-bed facility designed for adults experiencing a mental-health crisis, including those accused of minor crimes, will open near Seattle's Chinatown International District. |