MEDIA CONTACT: DESC Sr. Communications Manager Jessica Schreindl, jschreindl@desc.org
Seattle, WA – DESC’s Stability Through Access and Resources (STAR) Center will officially open on April 15, 2025, in Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood at 619 3rd Avenue and Cherry Street. This new non-congregate shelter is designed to provide comprehensive behavioral health services for unhoused adults facing severe challenges, offering a crucial pathway off the streets, into care, and toward long-term stability.
The STAR Center will serve individuals experiencing chronic homelessness who are living with serious behavioral health challenges like severe psychiatric and substance use disorders. It will work closely with local outreach teams, mobile crisis responders, first responders, and community programs to connect those with the highest acute needs to immediate and long-term support. The facility will accommodate between 75 and 85 individuals, with guests able to stay up to 90 days.
How the STAR Center Works
The STAR Center is a service-rich, low-barrier shelter tailored for those living with serious behavioral health challenges. It serves as an entry point for people in crisis, helping to stabilize them and connect them to critical services, including mental health care, substance use treatment, and housing navigation. Priority is given to the most vulnerable individuals, those who face the greatest barriers to care, and those who have no other shelter options.
The STAR Center is a dedicated facility that ensures individuals receive proactive outreach and follow-up, something many traditional shelters lack. If a person referred to the STAR Center doesn’t show up or leaves unexpectedly, the center’s outreach team will follow up to help them access care. This collaborative approach strengthens connections between outreach efforts, shelter, and long-term housing solutions.
Referral Process
The STAR referral form will be available starting April 15, 2025, and referrals to the STAR Center can be made by anyone in the community. While many referrals will come from DESC’s dedicated street outreach teams and its Opioid Recovery & Care Access (ORCA) Center, individuals will also be referred by the City of Seattle’s CARE Team, Health One, and other first responders and outreach teams.
The center will prioritize individuals who are most vulnerable or have critical opportunities to engage in care, using a vulnerability scoring system to determine the highest needs. Referrals will be reviewed weekly by STAR leadership, and once accepted, individuals have up to three business days to arrive at the program.
Holistic Support for Long-Term Stability
The STAR Center goes beyond basic shelter services by offering comprehensive behavioral health care and medical support. Funded by the City of Seattle and King County through the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, the center provides direct access to:
- Mental health services
- Substance use disorder treatment
- Medical care, including a registered nurse
- Permanent Supportive Housing assessment and navigation
- Enrollment in benefits and essential programs
- Community-based resources
In addition to these critical services, guests will also have access to hot meals, hygiene services, and a safe, stable place to rest, creating an environment where individuals can begin their journey toward recovery and long-term stability. A dedicated intake specialist will help clients enroll in programs, with many services available onsite to improve engagement and continuity of care.
Daniel Malone, Executive Director at DESC, emphasized the importance of STAR’s approach:
“Many people experiencing chronic homelessness face overwhelming challenges — mental illness, substance use disorders, disabilities, trauma, and extreme poverty. Typical services aren’t set up to address their complex needs. STAR Center will ensure people have their basic needs met first, and then will connect them to the care, support, and resources they need to achieve stability.”
King County Executive Shannon Braddock highlighted that the STAR Center plays a key role in a regional strategy to address the root causes of homelessness:
“The STAR Center will help meet the urgent need for housing and shelter with supportive services in our region. Creating more shelter, permanent supportive housing, and affordable housing are all part of the equation to address the root causes of homelessness,” said Executive Braddock. “This joint effort with the City of Seattle, King County, King County Regional Homelessness Authority, and DESC to create additional space for people to receive health care and supportive services will help people stabilize and move forward on the path to permanent housing. The STAR Center will serve thousands in need and create a lasting, meaningful impact.”
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell said the center illustrates his administration’s “One Seattle” approach:
“The opening of the STAR Center exemplifies our One Seattle approach by bringing together experts across our homelessness response system — including outreach, emergency response, treatment, and housing — to support our most vulnerable neighbors. Building on the City’s record investments in expanding affordable housing and the citywide expansion of the CARE Department’s behavioral health responder team, we will continue to advance compassionate, innovative solutions that address both the immediate needs and root causes of homelessness to improve lives across the City.”
A Hub of Coordinated Care on Third Ave.
In summer 2025, DESC will launch its ORCA Center, which will provide stabilization for individuals after an opioid overdose and offer medical treatment and recovery resources. The ORCA Center will also collaborate with the STAR Center, providing dedicated beds for individuals who require longer-term support.
The STAR Center is part of DESC’s broader initiative to launch a hub of coordinated care on Third Avenue in 2025, which includes the ORCA Center within the new DESC Downtown Behavioral Health Clinic. For more information on the STAR Center and other DESC initiatives, visit desc.org/third-ave-2025.
About DESC
The Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing essential services to individuals facing homelessness in Seattle. DESC offers a range of programs, including outreach, crisis intervention, housing support, and behavioral health services, with a focus on helping the most vulnerable populations achieve stability and independence.