Our Blog

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

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. 

King County’s Latest Point-in-Time Count shows thousands of people leave homelessness each year, but even more continue to fall into it

When the King County Regional Homelessness Authority released its 2026 Point-in-Time Count yesterday, many people saw one headline: Homelessness is increasing.

Some will use those numbers to argue that our current response has failed. But the data tells a different, more nuanced, story.

DESC’s 20^th permanent supportive housing location, Birch Grove, is named after a former client and forever friend  

DESC’s newest permanent supportive housing location, Birch Grove, is named in honor of Helen Birch: a longtime DESC client, tenant, and beloved member of our community.  

With a unique journey from outreach to housing, and unwavering support from DESC staff every step of the way, Helen’s story embodies the spirit of the work we do. 

Last month, DESC’s Opioid Recovery & Care Access (ORCA) team joined community partners and the Seattle Fire Department for a three-day public health outreach event at Hoa Mai Park in Seattle’s Little Saigon neighborhood.

The event connected people living with opioid use disorder to treatment, medical care, and ongoing support — including helping people get started on medication for opioid use disorder, an evidence-based treatment that can reduce cravings, prevent overdose, and support long-term recovery.

DESC will continue to provide mobile crisis response through the King County-funded Mobile Rapid Response Crisis Team (MRRCT) 

DESC Mobile Response Team (MRT) will close on May 31, 2026. 

Launched in April 2022, MRT offered two primary services: crisis response and pre- and post-crisis support. The program was designed to promote housing stability for tenants in permanent supportive housing and support the well-being of people experiencing complex behavioral health and medical needs.