About the SODO Services Hub

Translated fact sheets

• Amharic |
• Chinese (Simplified) |
• Chinese (Traditional) |
• Korean |
• Somali |
• Spanish |
• Vietnamese

Looking for more information?

Learn more about the SODO Services Hub on our blog, Cultivating Connections.

Timeline

Site and service design for the SODO Services Hub is in progress and will determine the final uses and services placement on the leased property. Site work is anticipated to run through Spring 2023.

Location: 1000-1050 6th Ave S, & 831 Seattle Boulevard in Seattle
Type of Facility: Enhanced Shelter and Behavioral Health Services Center
Capacity: Preserves the existing 270-person Salvation Army-operated shelter, adds enhanced shelter and behavioral health services for an anticipated 150 additional people.
Services/Staffing: Services Hub will be staffed 24/7 with staff who will provide case management, and housing placement services. One of the shelters will provide behavioral health supports. Staffing ratios will vary based on the type of program. Security will continue to be on site 24/7.
Population Served: People experiencing unsheltered homelessness

Planned components of the Services Hub include:

• Existing 270-person shelter
• Temporary sobering shelter
• Behavioral health-focused shelter
• Micro-Modular enhanced shelter
• RV support services

Background

In 2020, King County, in partnership with the City of Seattle, opened an enhanced shelter that now serves 270 people. Since November 2020, the Salvation Army has operated the shelter and staffed the building with 24/7 case managers, housing navigators and mental health specialists. For the last two years, Salvation Army’s Lighthouse at SODO shelter has served a total of 996 people, 103 of whom have successfully exited from the program to permanent housing. Just over one-third of the current residents, 91 people, are employed in the area and sleep in the shelter.

In May, King County Council voted to extend the lease for the existing SODO enhanced shelter. The lease extension allowed the existing shelter to remain open and prevented hundreds of people from returning to unsheltered homelessness. The new lease expands King County’s access to property to establish a Services Hub, created in partnership with the City of Seattle and the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA). The SODO Services Hub will host a co-located network of behavioral health services and 24/7 shelter for people experiencing homelessness in downtown Seattle, Chinatown/International District (CID), SODO, and nearby neighborhoods.

Enhanced shelter allows a person to stabilize without having to check out every morning and check back in every night and allows steady access to bathrooms, showers, and supportive services like healthcare and housing connection. The Services Hub will cost nearly $66.5 million. The total budget includes the lease, capital improvements, and operating costs for the existing 270-person shelter, temporary sobering shelter, behavioral health-focused shelter, Micro-Modular enhanced shelter, and the RV support services. The funding for the total budget is coming from the City of Seattle, County, and KCRHA. Federal funds from the American Rescue Plan include $22 million of the total budget. In addition to contributes to the existing shelter the City of Seattle is contributing $5 million a year for the lease agreement.

Timing and Engagement

King County, the City of Seattle, and KCRHA are continuing to engage with nearby community members to inform next steps of the project. King County anticipates a phased roll out of services, beginning with the relocation of the sobering center by the end of the year. Enhanced shelter with behavioral health services, micro modular units, and a location to fix a small number of RVs while offering their owners housing services will follow. New shelter projects on the site are scheduled to open between Fall 2022 and Spring 2023. Site and service design for the SODO Services Hub is in progress and will determine the final uses and services placement on the leased property.

Locations of future shelter services on the site include a part of the property that is currently home to an unsanctioned encampment. KCRHA Systems Advocates are on the ground currently around the area, including in the CID to make connections with people living unsheltered.

Questions?

If you have feedback, or would like to join a community meeting, email: SODOHub@kingcounty.gov