On Jan. 25, 2022, we held the grand opening for the final housing phase of Hobson Place and the integrated Clinic at Hobson Place (watch it below).
Why are we so excited about it? Besides being one of DESC’s biggest achievements yet, Hobson Place is remarkable for several reasons:
- Hobson Place’s Permanent Supportive Housing has been built in two phases, with the first 85 affordable studio apartments opened in October 2020.
- The 92 new apartments completed in the second phase will be Passive House Certified (PHIUS+ 2018) for their sustainable, ultra-high energy construction. It will be the first permanent supportive housing project in Washington state to achieve Passive House certification from the Passive House Institute US, and has been pre-certified.
- The Clinic at Hobson Place is both a unique partnership between DESC and Harborview Medical Center—and the largest local clinic of its kind.
This facility brings comprehensive outpatient behavioral health and primary care, long-term care pharmacy services and permanent supportive housing under one roof.
DESC tenants will begin moving in near the end of January, and behavioral health care services will be offered starting in early February. Primary care services will be offered beginning in late March. Also open to the public, the clinic is expected to ultimately see 10,000 visits each year.
The Clinic at Hobson Place will be the largest local full-scale health care clinic specifically designed to meet the complex needs of people living with disabilities who have experienced the longest periods of homelessness.
Exam, consultation, group and conference rooms and offices will occupy the first three floors, with the new housing units open on floors four through seven.
This integrated facility is the realization of both Harborview’s and DESC’s vision to provide equitable health care access and health outcomes for marginalized community members through patient-centered, trauma-informed and high-quality health care.
The clinic will specialize in serving people who are experiencing or have experienced homelessness, who live with behavioral health and/or chronic physical health conditions, have lower incomes and have experienced trauma.
Hobson Place is named for DESC’s late former director Bill Hobson, who dedicated his career to innovating ways to provide shelter and speak for people experiencing homelessness, with disabilities, substance use disorder and behavioral health issues.
Housing is health care. It provides a stable foundation that allows other services to be more effective. By addressing the health care needs of the most vulnerable people, The Clinic at Hobson Place will promote a healthier community for everyone.