Seattle officials propose new outreach team to help unsheltered people

More help could be on the way to assist people living unsheltered in Seattle.

Now that Seattle’s navigation teams has been defunded little is being done to respond to the homeless crisis in across the city.

“We are on the forefront of a new collaborative model centering outreach and the needs of our neighbors living unsheltered,” said Andrew Lewis who has introduced legislation for a new city approach to encampment outreach.

The new team would be called the “Unsheltered Outreach and Response Team."

It would become the city’s central coordinating team to collaborate with outreach efforts of contracted partners like REACH, Chief Seattle Club, the Urban League, Downtown Emergency Service Center and many more.

“This new team would be in HSD (Human Services Department) would be focused on building on and impowering that traditional of centering outreach and community providers first, “ said Lewis.

The bill will appropriate $1.8 million for third party outreach and another $245,000 would support an eight member team with the city’s human services department.

“This new approach empowers frontline workers with the skills and relationships to best serve unsheltered people in our city,” said Colleen Echohawk, who is the executive director of the Chief Seattle Club.

The new team would not be authorized to conduct outreach, that work would be carried out by community-based groups.

“This team will be exclusively civilian, the city’s practice of using armed, uniformed police as agents of homeless outreach and coordination is resolutely over,” said Lewis.

Mayor Durkan’s office released this statement in response to the legislation:

COVID-19 has presented immense challenges to our city, including individuals living unsheltered. As a City, it is the responsibility our elected leaders to ensure that our communities remain safe for our housed and unhoused neighbors.

As part of the 2020 budget, Council eliminated the city’s only team which coordinates and manages unmanaged encampments. Before City Council’s veto, Mayor Durkan had proposed a plan to move more people off the street and into safer spaces through an alternative approach, which was rejected by Council.

In recent weeks, Councilmember Lewis, the Mayor’s Office, and providers have worked together on expanding outreach and restoring citywide outreach positions at HSD, understanding the significant impacts of the elimination of the Navigation Team.

This proposal is a first step in addressing Mayor Durkan’s significant concerns about the elimination of all City resources to coordinate outreach and mitigation of health and safety impacts at unmanaged encampments. In the coming weeks, the City will prepare to operationalize this plan to scale outreach, shelter, and address the most hazardous encampments that pose a risk to encampment residents or surrounding communities. As Council knows, outreach and mitigation at those encampments that present significant public safety or health risks may continue to need the support and services of the Seattle Police Department. This bill would attempt to reduce the number of such cases by expanding outreach.

Mayor Durkan looks forward to Council fast-tracking both this legislation and $3 million for hotels to move hundreds off the streets and into shelter and permanent housing over the next year. If Council moves quickly, we have the opportunity to move hundreds of people off the street, address the most hazardous encampments, and move more people into safer spaces.