Neighborhood partnerships credited with moving hundreds of people inside; panel urges scaling localized outreach and wraparound care

Representatives of neighborhood partnerships, outreach organizations and providers briefed the King County Board of Health on March 20, 2025, on neighborhood-level interventions that combine outreach, case management, emergency lodging and local stakeholder engagement to move people living unsheltered into shelter and housing.

Panelists described a neighborhood collaboration model used in the University District and other King County neighborhoods that centers the neighborhood’s concerns, coordinates outreach and public-safety diversion tools, and aligns housing navigation and on-site services. Marcus Johnson of the University District Partnership said the model brought together social-service providers, neighborhood groups and city agencies to adapt responses as the neighborhood’s homelessness profile shifted.

Chloe Gail of REACH/Evergreen Treatment Services explained that REACH and Evergreen provide a countywide mix of outreach, clinical teams, mobile opioid treatment vans and housing navigation; the organization reports serving more than 11,000 people annually and operating multiple walk‑in locations and mobile units. Carol Ann Sanders Lundgren of Purpose, Dignity, Action (PDA) described program models including LEAD (pre‑booking diversion), Just Care and community-based projects that emphasize non‑coercive, trauma‑informed pathways to services.

Nicole Alexander of Co‑Lead outlined an intensive case‑management and emergency‑lodging approach that emphasizes daily engagement, trust building, health and behavioral‑health connections, legal navigation and housing navigation; she said Co‑Lead facilities have recorded zero overdose deaths inside shelters over four years of operation.

Panelists presented outcome figures from a statewide right‑of‑way encampment resolution program: across those sites the panelists reported 22 encampments resolved, 523 people moved inside, 91% of those placed came from encampments, and 73% of people placed remained housed at reporting. Panelists also highlighted one conversion in which a building acquired through state resources (the Jean Darcy) provided housing for people who had been in nearby encampments, and noted places where the neighborhood engagement model supported transitions from encampments to both temporary shelter and permanent supportive housing.

Board members responded positively and asked the panelists to offer their presentation to other community and council bodies; some members noted the Board of Health’s earlier guidance on homelessness (BOH 2018) and a 2024 Board statement recommending evidence‑based practices for encampment responses. Panelists and board members said King County funding and convening support has been important and requested expanded outreach in South King County and other areas with gaps in services.