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One Year of ORCA: How this innovative program is changing opioid use disorder response and care

September 2, 2026

DESC’s ORCA program is demonstrating an effective and compassionate response to the opioid crisis in Seattle

People talking in a medical setting. — *Community members at the ORCA Center Grand Opening in August 2025.*

One year ago, DESC and community partners asked a simple but urgent question: What if we provided people with the compassionate, comprehensive care they actually need after an overdose?

The answer was the Opioid Recovery & Care Access (ORCA) Center, created to fill a critical gap in opioid use disorder care by providing immediate stabilization, a place to comfortably recover, and access to a variety of treatment and recovery services.

DESC 2025 Annual Report

Posted on by beier-laura

August 26, 2026

DESC 2025 Annual Report

DESC helps people with the complex needs of homelessness, substance use disorders, and serious mental illness achieve their highest potential for health and well-being through comprehensive services, treatment, and housing.

Our vision is a community where all people are shown compassion, treated with dignity, and everyone has a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home. In 2025, we moved 327 people into permanent supportive housing, with 98% of all clients retaining their homes after one year — evidence of the stability DESC provides.

DESC and Community Partners Hosting Overdose Awareness Day August 28

Posted on by beier-laura

July 31, 2026

DESC and community partners will host an Overdose Awareness Day event on Friday, August 28, bringing together community members, substance use disorder providers, and people with lived experience to honor those lost to overdose and raise awareness.

Housing First Linked to Drop in Jail Bookings in New King County Data

Posted on by beier-laura

July 2, 2026

Jail bookings dropped by 27% in the first year for those in permanent supportive housing, according to King County’s Department of Community and Human Services

DESC's Birch Grove, a permanent supportive housing location in Lake City. — A studio apartment at DESC’s Birch Grove, our newest permanent supportive housing location, in Lake City.

In a new report by the King County Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS), Housing First was linked to a 27% decrease in jail bookings in just the first year.

The analysis, which looked at 5,371 residents enrolled in adult-serving permanent supportive housing programs between 2021-2025, also found that 81% of individuals who had a jail-booking in the year prior to their enrollment in permanent supportive housing saw a personal reduction in the number of bookings after enrollment into the program.

One Year of Stability, Recreation, and Connection at DESC’s STAR Center

Posted on by beier-laura

June 26, 2026

This non-congregate, innovative shelter is finding ways to support residents with behavioral healthcare, a place to sleep, and enriching activities

A nurse takes a client's blood pressure at DESC's STAR Center. — *Xochitl Rojas, an on-site registered nurse at DESC’s STAR Center, takes a resident’s blood pressure.*

One year ago, DESC opened the Stability Through Access and Resources (STAR) Center. This service-rich, non-congregate shelter was designed to support adults facing chronic homelessness and complex behavioral health challenges by connecting them to essential care, wraparound services, and a place to sleep.

Offering a crucial bridge from the streets to stability, this shelter provides on-site behavioral healthcare, housing navigation, and treatment for addiction, as well as hot meals, showers, and semi-private stays. In 2025, STAR served a total of 321 guests.