Our Impact - DESC

Annual Report 2024

December 31, 2025

Annual Report 2024

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 2024, we moved 466 people into permanent supportive housing, with 94.6% of them retaining their homes — evidence of the stability DESC provides. We also opened Bloomside, our first permanent supportive housing location outside of Seattle, located in Burien. We also advanced work on three new permanent supportive housing projects across Seattle.

We prepared for the opening of both the Opioid Recovery & Care Access (ORCA) Center, a judgment-free space for individuals to stabilize after an overdose; and the Stability Through Access & Resources (STAR) Center, an innovative, non-congregate shelter designed for our most vulnerable neighbors to get connected to the services they need most.

The figures in this report are for fiscal year January-December 2024, released in
August 2025 following annual auditing.

Read the entire 2024 Annual Report here.

Injectable-Only Overlapping Buprenorphine Starting Protocol in a Low-Threshold Setting

Posted on by beier-laura

October 21, 2025

DESC’s innovative new method for administering opioid use disorder treatment was published in JAMA Network Open.

Assessing the outcomes associated with an injectable-only buprenorphine starting protocol in a low-threshold outpatient setting among individuals using fentanyl, this study evaluated 95 patients with moderate to severe opioid use disorder.

The study shows that this new protocol has significantly higher retention rates than previous methods. 75% of participants completed the three-day injection series, and 64% continued treatment with a second monthly dose.

Allowing individuals to start treatment without having to stop using fentanyl, and providing housing and comprehensive services during treatment, has shown to be effective for adults dealing with mental health challenges and chronic homelessness.

Read the study here: Injectable-Only Overlapping Buprenorphine Starting Protocol in a Low-Threshold Setting.

A Leap Forward in Opioid Treatment

Posted on by beier-laura

April 30, 2025

Seattle Times covers ‘game-changing’ new treatment for opioid use disorder developed by DESC’s Opioid Treatment Network (OTN)

On Sunday, The Seattle Times published an article by Greg Kim and Hannah Furfaro showcasing a big step forward in treating opioid use disorder, developed by our Opioid Treatment Network (OTN) team.

The OTN team developed a method that allows people with opioid use disorder to more easily start and stick with buprenorphine, a gold-standard medication treatment for this type of substance use disorder. This protocol enables us to more easily administer long-acting injectable medication for opioid use disorder — primarily affecting individuals using fentanyl — in a way that some other medical professionals are calling a “game-changer.”

Challenging misconceptions about homelessness and substance use

Posted on by Claire Tuohy-Morgan

November 22, 2024

When you encounter someone on the street experiencing homelessness or hear about an individual overdosing in the city, do you perceive them negatively? In this video, DESC Opioid Treatment Network (OTN) Nurse Supervisor Jeremy Hoog challenges misconceptions about those experiencing homelessness or struggling with substance use disorders. Jeremy was one of a panel of experts who recently spoke about substance use and harm reduction at DESC’s event, “Mission Possible: Adaptive Solutions to Homelessness.” Other panelists included DESC Executive Director Daniel Malone; Co-Director Harm Reduction Research & Treatment (HaRRT) Center, UW, Seema L. Clifasefi PhD, MSW; DESC Deputy Director for Strategy Nicole Macri; and Director of King County Department of Community and Human Services Kelly Rier.

ORCA Center will provide quick stabilization and resources following overdose

Posted on by Claire Tuohy-Morgan

June 13, 2024

Determined to save lives, a multi-agency partnership will fight the fentanyl crisis with a new strategy beginning early-to-mid 2025. That’s when DESC is expected to open a $12 million Opioid Recovery & Care Access (ORCA) Center on the second floor of the Morrison, at 517 Third Avenue.