It is estimated that over 25% of homeless people live
with a severe and untreated mental illness and/or chemical dependency
that has caused or contributed to their becoming or remaining homeless.
The majority of DESC’s clients are mentally ill, and at least 40% have
addictive illnesses — and for many, these conditions are intertwined.
DESC provides state-licensed mental health and chemical dependency
treatment services to address the needs of this group. We provide a
continuum of care that includes street outreach and engagement, case
management, and short- and long-term care. DESC's clinical services are
delivered through the following four components:
HOST (Homeless
Outreach Stabilization and Transition)
HOST case managers conduct outreach and provide
intensive case management on the streets, in shelters, hospitals,
jails, libraries and other facilities, seeking out people who are
mentally ill and homeless. HOST outreach staff develop trusting
relationships with people and encourage them to begin seeking
assistance. DESC's drop-in center allows people to proceed at their own
pace and become familiar with the environment. When they are ready,
case managers will help identify their underlying issues and service
needs, facilitate access to these services (whether at DESC or with
other service providers), help achieve clinical and social
stabilization, secure housing, and transition into long-term case
management.
SAGE (Support,
Advocacy, Growth and Employment)
SAGE is the ongoing comprehensive case management
component of DESC's mental health program. SAGE case managers work with
clients to help them obtain and maintain housing, improve clinical and
social stability, and enrich and enhance their level of independence
and self-sufficiency. This program has grown rapidly, with over 600
clients currently enrolled. Click here to learn about the services provided and eligibility, and how to enroll.
Chemical
Dependency Treatment
Chemical dependency clients usually have a sustained
and/or complicated substance abuse history, while many also suffer from
a co-occurring mental disorder. The ability to provide highly
integrated services to people with concurrent mental health and
chemical dependency concerns is rare among homeless service
providers. Yet, the breadth of the organization allows counselors
to work in coordination with mental health case managers, in the
emergency shelter and in supportive housing projects so that services
meet clients at their current level and offer support for change. DESC
is a Title XIX and King County Drug Court provider.
Crisis Respite
Program
The Crisis Respite Program (CRP), provides shelter and
case management for severely mentally ill homeless adults. Working in
partnership with Harborview Medical Center and King County Mental
Health Court, the CRP is a vital buffer between psychiatric emergency
care and life back on the streets. It provides severely mentally ill
homeless adults, still emerging from a recent crisis or jail, with a
chance to stabilize in safe, secure and supportive surroundings and
connect with services and housing. Without this program,
individuals would be left with little choice but to return to the
streets, increasing their chances of repeatedly cycling through
costly public services such as emergency rooms, jails and courts, and
remaining homeless. In addition to these programs, DESC operates a
thrift store to provide vocational opportunities for clients, and is in
the process of developing a more comprehensive vocational program.
PACT (Program of Assertive Community Treatment)
DESC is honored to be
one of the few agencies in Washington to deliver a Program of Assertive
Community Treatment (PACT). PACT is a nationally recognized
practice that works with people with serious and persistent mental
illness, assisting them in their journey towards recovery. The
PACT model is distinguished by its intensive outreach and
team-oriented, trans-disciplinary approach.
