A recent project by Sinclair Broadcasting Group, “Fight for the Soul of Seattle,” conflates and simplifies complex issues, mischaracterizes DESC’s mission, and ignores our successful track record housing and supporting some of the city’s most vulnerable and marginalized people. The producers of the show never reached out to DESC to request information or an interview.
Continue reading “Our response to “Fight for the Soul of Seattle””In the News
DESC continues to set the standard for excellence in supportive housing, winning local and national recognition for the effectiveness of its programs. These links point to articles or other information provided by other organizations. DESC is not responsible for the content referenced by these links. These links are provided as a service for visitors to DESC’s web site, and our providing a link to an article does not imply endorsement or agreement with the content.
Making ‘formerly homeless’ the new reality
PRESS RELEASE – DESC opens Hobson Place, 177 new homes + embedded Harborview Clinic
SEATTLE – On Oct. 7, Downtown Emergency Service Center opened Phase 1 of Hobson Place, a new supportive housing project in Seattle. When fully complete, Hobson Place, will host a total of 177 new homes and a clinic that will serve on-site tenants and 10,000 other community members each year. With the Clinic at Hobson Place, DESC and Harborview Medical Center will establish the first local full-scale clinic specifically designed to meet the complex needs of people living with disabilities who have experienced the longest periods of homelessness. Hobson Place, named after former DESC executive director, the late Bill Hobson, will provide the supportive housing units and specialized clinic together to create the resources most critically needed by people who have experienced long periods on the streets.
According Daniel Malone, DESC’s Executive Director, “residents of Hobson Place will throw off the daily stress of wondering how they’re going to survive on the streets and begin to open a new chapter in their lives and be able to rejoin the life of the community.”
Prior to each move-in, volunteers fill the apartments with household goods including bedding, kitchen, bathroom and cleaning supplies. The building will be staffed 24/7 to provide people with support and care. You can see the virtual opening event celebration here.
During the celebration, King County Executive Dow Constantine noted that “for over 40 years DESC has brought innovation and leadership to the design and delivery of housing and services specifically for the most vulnerable members of our society. Housing First. It was the right idea then, it’s the right idea now.”
The colorful accent panels were inspired by a family-owned cut glass business that operated on the site for more than 100 years, Kusak Cut Glass Works. The history of the site is also honored in the artwork commissioned from Coast Salish artists by Eighth Generation. Artist Gail White Eagle was inspired by nature after a spring snow: “I brushed aside the snow to see if the plants still survived, and the plants did. They were still there they were still growing and flourishing. You could still feel the energy, the resilience of the plants and the trees still came through even after it snowed, and that’s what I wove about for the Hobson Place.”
Funding for the project comes from the City of Seattle Office of Housing, Washington State Housing Finance Commission, Washington State Department of Commerce, National Equity Fund, Federal Home Loan Bank, National Equity Fund, JP Morgan Chase, Corporation for Supportive Housing, and private philanthropy.
Project Information
Address: 1911 22nd Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98144
Total Square Footage: 145,732
Number of Units: 177 small efficiency units & Integrated Health Clinic
Project Team
Architect of Record: Runberg Architecture Group
Healthcare Architect: TGB Architects
Development Consultant: Lotus Development
Contractor: Walsh Construction
Landscape Architecture: Nakano Associates
Structural Engineer: Coughlin Porter Lundeen
Civil Engineer: KPFF Consulting Engineers
Interior Design: Mercedes Fernandez Interior Design
Acoustic Consultant: A3 Acoustic
Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Engineer: Rushing Company
Energy Consultant: O’Brien 360
Envelope Consultant: JRS Engineering
Passive House Consultant: JGA Consultants
CPHC and Energy Modeler: RDH
At The Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC), we believe everyone deserves the space to exist and a place to call home. We provide integrated services including housing, emergency shelter, crisis intervention and healthcare to thousands of homeless and formerly homeless people every day. We fight for public resources and policies that serve our most vulnerable and marginalized neighbors. DESC is a national pioneer, innovator, and leader in the Housing First movement, which is now the dominant service approach promoted in national policy.
Grand Opening for Hobson Place
Hobson Place is now open to 85 people who are escaping chronic homelessness!
Continue reading “Grand Opening for Hobson Place”Gimme Shelter 2020
The 12th Annual Gimme Shelter concert raised more than $100,000 for DESC’s clients! A big thank-you goes out to our sponsors, attendees and donors!
The concert by Billy Joe Huels and the Dusty 45s is now available online. If you missed the event be sure to check it out!
Continue reading “Gimme Shelter 2020”Building better crisis response systems
As our community grapples with creating better and more responsive emergency systems (what many refer to as “defunding the police”) we at DESC want to share what we’ve learned during decades of experience working with marginalized people and doing crisis response. Continue reading “Building better crisis response systems”