The Urbanist featured DESC’s Birch Grove Grand Opening on June 16 in an article that dives into the evidence behind Housing First — including new data from King County’s Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) tying Housing First to a 27% decrease in jail bookings after one year.
“Why do we build places like this? It’s because we know … that the solution to homelessness is housing,” said Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson at the grand opening ceremony.
“Not someday, not after every box is checked. Housing first, and with that, the support that helps people to stay. And we know this works because the numbers tell us so,” Wilson said. “We know that 95% of residents at DESC remain housed after one year. 95%: That is one of the highest success rates anywhere in the nation.” — Mayor Katie Wilson at Birch Grove.
Read “Data Backs Up Supportive Housing First Model in Spite of Federal Attacks”