ANÁLISIS DE LA DEMANDA

DESC offers supportive housing at four locations, each serving slightly different populations. The common feature among the four locations is that homeless people do not have to agree to services as a condition of entering or retaining housing. Each location is described below.

Kerner-Scott House

Kerner-Scott House is a 25-unit safe haven for people with serious mental illness referred

through DESC’s HOST project. Located in the south Lake Union area, Kerner-Scott House is in a somewhat tucked away location. But it is near busy downtown streets and just off an expressway. The four-story building also houses offices for on-site staff, a 25-bed overnight shelter for women who are homeless and mentally ill, and a 15-unit “clean and sober” program. Each safe haven resident has a studio apartment. Each apartment has a small kitchen, living and sleeping area, and bathroom. The street level includes a common living and dining area and staff offices. Kerner-Scott’s on-site staff members include two clinical service coordinators and one or two residential counselors during the day. Staffing at night includes two or three overnight staff, and three swing shift staff. Clinical service coordinators provide clinical supervision of the residential counselors. They also are primarily responsible for administrative functions.

Eligibility criteria for Kerner-Scott House include homelessness, serious mental illness, and lack of other housing options. This safe haven serves the most impaired and least engaged of DESC’s clients. There are no formal limits on length of stay, but residents are encouraged to move to one of DESC’s other permanent supportive housing buildings within 24 months. DESC’s other three buildings are located within a few blocks of each other on Third Avenue in the Pioneer Square area of downtown Seattle. Five of the clients tracked for this study lived at Kerner-Scott when they entered the study.

The Lyon Building

The Lyon Building has 64 units of permanent supportive housing for persons with HIV/AIDS and other disabilities. The building opened in 1997 after being renovated by another local nonprofit housing and services provider, AIDS Housing of Washington. DESC operates the building and provides services, but does not own the building. The first floor has a common area and staff offices.

Referrals to the Lyon Building come from DESC outreach, as well as Seattle area AIDS service providers. To live at the Lyon Building, applicants must be homeless, low-income, and require supportive services. They must have two of three qualifying disabilities:

HIV/AIDS, mental illness, or chronic substance abuse history. Applicants are assigned to a priority category for admission—applicants disabled by both HIV/AIDS and mental illness have top priority. Applicants who do not have HIV may be admitted, but this is only a small percentage of residents. Staff estimate that three-quarters of the building’s residents have a mental illness, but not necessarily a “severe and persistent” mental illness. A slightly larger proportion—roughly

80 percent—have substance abuse histories. Many residents have all three disabilities, according to staff. Most also have criminal histories related to their substance abuse.

There are no time limits on stays at the Lyon Building. Compared to DESC’s other permanent supportive housing locations, a smaller proportion of Lyon Building residents come from the streets or emergency shelters. According to staff, the HIV/AIDS services system has a more extensive stock of transitional housing relative to the need, so some residents come from such transitional settings.

The Lyon Building has four clinical service coordinators for its 64 residents, including one who is a chemical dependency specialist. Residential counselors provide additional on-site support. Four of the clients tracked for this research lived at the Lyon Building when they entered the study.

The Morrison Hotel

The Morrison Hotel was originally owned and operated by the SHA. The five-story building had 205 single room occupancy (SRO) units. Beginning in 1979, DESC leased additional space in the building for a 203-bed emergency shelter. Historically, the SRO units were mostly occupied; however, many residents were either frail elderly or had mental illnesses. Many had unmet service needs, criminal histories, behavioral issues, and other challenges. In 2001, a group of local stakeholders put pressure on SHA to address problems created by residents of the building, recommending that SHA sell it to DESC. SHA agreed. DESC purchased the building and assigned a project manager, program assistant, five clinical service coordinators, and nine residential counselors to the building. The building serves homeless individuals, disabled by mental illness or substance abuse, and some formerly homeless residents coming from Kerner-Scott House. Fifteen of the clients tracked for this study lived at the Morrison.

In addition to permanent supportive housing, the Morrison Hotel continues to house an emergency shelter for 203 men and women, including a 20-bed Crisis Respite Program. Shelter guests must either be women or people with disabilities. People are defined as disabled if they have a mental health problem or physical disability. During the day, the shelter space operates as a drop-in center staffed to provide medical care, mental health counseling, and chemical dependency treatment. Staff provide information and referrals. Visitors may obtain clothing and use hygiene facilities, as well as mail and phone services. These contacts allow homeless people to learn about DESC’s permanent housing programs.

The Union Hotel

The Union Hotel, a renovated SRO hotel building, opened in 1994. It houses 52 mentally ill and formerly homeless residents in permanent supportive housing. Each resident has an independent apartment with a small kitchen area and bathroom. Some units do not have showers, so there are common showers in the hall. Turnover is extremely low (only four units in 2003). About one-half of the residents are former Kerner-Scott House residents who are ready for somewhat more independent living. Applicants must be homeless and disabled. Ninety-five percent have a primary diagnosis of mental illness, and roughly one-third have a history of chronic substance abuse. Staffing at the Union Hotel is somewhat less intensive than at the Morrison Hotel, with one residential counselor on duty at all times and one

clinical service coordinator. There are no limits on length of stay at the Union Hotel. One of the clients tracked for this study lived at the Union Hotel.

Housing Agreements

When a client enters DESC housing, he or she signs a lease agreement and a clinical service coordinator is assigned. Residents of Kerner-Scott House sign a month-to-month agreement, while residents of the other buildings sign one-year agreements. Lease documents include provisions that the resident may be evicted for criminal activity, drug use, or violence in or near the property. Staff explain, however, that residents receive many warnings before the agency elects to move the resident to another DESC building or pursue an eviction. In addition, leases include a policy on visitors. Staff may limit or prohibit visitors on a case-by-case basis. One focus group participant was satisfied with his apartment, but objected to the restrictions on visitors. The restrictions were a condition of his own lease, due to his history of drug activity. Despite his objections, he conceded that, “If you live in your own place, you can make the rules. I’m living in someone else’s place, so I have to live by their rules.”