Community Meeting: Supportive Homeless Housing in the Haller Lake/Bitter Lake neighborhood


Meeting recording: https://youtu.be/i-Dom3fETjo

The Haller Lake Community Club and the Broadview-Bitter Lake Community Council hosted three speakers on Oct. 19 related to housing the homeless in our neighborhood.  We had Mark Ellerbrook from King County Department of Community and Human Service; Noah Fey, Director of Housing Programs, Downtown Emergency Services Center (DESC) and Josh Castle, Director of Advocacy and Community Engagement, Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI).

Mark Ellerbrook talked about King County's “Health through Housing” initiative, which creates long term supportive housing.  The former “Extended Stay America” hotel, on Stone Ave N., just north of N 130th, will be used for that, but he concentrated on the program in general.
King county and the city of Seattle don't run housing directly; they contract with agencies like DESC and LIHI.  Noah Fey, from DESC, talked about the new strategy on emergency housing in general, and in particular the “Mary Pilgrim Inn Emergency Housing” at 141st and Aurora, the former Holiday Inn.   Josh Castle (from LIHI) talked about Tiny House Villages, and in particular, the Friendship Village coming to 125th and Aurora.

Mark Ellerbrook – King County
  • “Health through Housing” started around a year ago, funded by a 0.5% sales tax increase.
  • There are 6000 unsheltered people in King County.
  • The emphasis now is on housing, not shelter.   Supportive housing means people will be able to access services in the place they live.
  • Return to homelessness (within 6 months) is around 2%.
  • This is cost effective – 1 year of housing is the same cost as 3 months in County jail or 3 days at Harborview.
  • Health through Housing 's county-wide short-term goal is 1600 units during the next calendar year.
  • To be placed, a client must be chronically homeless (i.e. unhoused for a year) and have a mental or physical disability.

Noah Fay - DESC
  • Since COVID, we are moving away from congregate shelters to hotels for people who were falling through the cracks.   It reduces disease transmission and greatly improves overall well-being. The benefit to the unhoused is that they have time to think and plan for the future.
  • It is a “housing first” model , with licensed behavioral health staff who handle crisis diversion outreach and response.
  • There are 10-14 staff on site.
  • They are close to hiring a dedicated neighborhood coordinator/liaison.
  • The average age of their clients is 50 (many are over 60).

Josh Castle – LIHI
  • LIHI runs 15 Tiny House Villages in Seattle.
  • Each unit costs around $4,000.  The median time of stay is 99 days.
  • Friendship Village (coming to 125th and Aurora) will have 50 houses.
  • Faith communities sponsor villages in a number of ways.   Get involved!
  • 53% of clients are moved to permanent housing.
  • Talked about a Good Neighbor Agreement that neighbors can be involved with drafting.
  • There will be a Community Advisory Council that neighbors can sign up to join. 

Questions
  • Many questions focused on the existing homeless in our neighborhood, esp. those camped on the field next to Bitter Lake, behind Broadview Thompson school.  Unfortunately, none of the speakers are involved in moving people out of camps.
  • What is the vision for homelessness services in the area since there seems to be many services coming to the area. There is no broad plan that led to the acquisition of the two hotels in our neighborhood; they were just good opportunity to get an appropriate building at a good cost.  They prefer hotels with interior hallways to better control access; many of the hotels going on the market have exterior walkways. We would need to ask the City what the vision is.  
  • Many people curious why Aurora with high crime, drug use and prostitution was selected as an appropriate location for the housing.  Speakers unable/did not to address these questions. Presumably because the buildings/land checked all their boxes mentioned earlier in the presentation and was purchased. 
  • A Tiny House can house two adults comfortably.  Sometimes two are joined to house a family.
  • What happens if people refuse housing even though these rooms will be available?  Speakers unable to answer.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Junction Point Homeless Shelter Off 128th Street

Image
 I was able to tour the Catholic Community Services Homeless Shelter, Junction Point, last week.  This shelter is located at 1132 N 128th St. near Stone Way and 128th St.  There shelter is a series of small, individual building for the residents that look something like "tiny homes".   I met up with Sharonda Duncan, Division Director within CSS Homeless Services.  She manages 4 of CCS's shelters around Seattle.  This shelter became active last June.  It has capacity for 49 individuals, men or women who are 50 years old or older.  The shelter is currently at full capacity. The shelter does utilize volunteers from the community.  They can use help with their plants/gardening and putting together hygiene packs and move out packs for the residents.  If you are interested, you can visit the shelter and ring the door bell. This is a shelter that moved from the old Junction Point location along Elliot Avenue.  The Elliot avenue shelte...
Read more

Green Tips From The Community - November 2024

  Let’s build soil! This time of year gives us a great opportunity to build our soil. If you haven’t picked up your leaves yet, please consider using them. Also, how about woodchips in your yard? Nature is amazing at building healthy soil if we get out of the way and let it. Healthy soil is rich in nutrients and does a get job managing water.    It helps grow happy plants and creates an ecosystem system within its self. Here are a few ways you can help nature build your soil…. Leaves - if you still have leaves on the ground, leave them. You can put them under your trees and shrubs, in your home composter, turn them in your garden bed or spread a layer of them on your garden paths and top them with arborist woodchips. These lovely leaves are great at making soil! Arborist woodchips - woodchips are excellent at building healthy soil. I say arborist woodchips because woodchips you buy at the store generally aren’t great soil builders. Reason… arborist chips come untreated, s...
Read more

From The Archives - December 2024

As a teen floating around the Lake on my all wood paddleboard I made in the 1960s, I couldn’t help but notice the many flowering lily beds tucked on shorelines.  The bright green pads fashioned as designer plates looked stunning against multi- colored full-open flowers.  Add blue dragonflies whizzing about to get the full effect.  R. C. Byers, an early Haller Lake pioneer dating to 1910s, was known as the “lily man” not to mention he built his own cabin, cleared land, and replanted trees, shrubs and…25 varieties of lilies.  A story appeared in Sunset magazine “The Lily Grower of Haller Lake” claiming his status.  Our own Shawn MacPherson’s aunt, Anne Segale, told her local kids would sell Mr. Byers lilies at Pike Place Market. Today many Lake homeowners have the coveted lilies, well, perhaps some are coveted. They spread from Byers's shore front to around the Lake over 100 years.  It’s a tedious job to clear lilies. I’m told people spend several sessio...
Read more

Baldwin School Report

  I interviewed Guillermo Covajal, social worker at Baldwin.  Twenty elementary schools are considered for closure in SSD for 2025-26.  In any case, the new and large Baldwin will take on twice their number of students.  Not a done deal yet, but Broadview looks to close sending their staff and students to JB.  District officials will speak at Baldwin on October7, at 6:30 under the topic “Well Resourced Schools.”  With the huge school deficit, the meeting will cover cost saving measures. We’re off to a good start with 3rd grade science.  Our overarching theme is saving orangutans from lost habitat due to palm oil production.  Students look at three islands as refuge.  They study the landscape, collect climate data and do weather experiments. Randy Baldwin Liaison
Read more