Since the early 90s Capitol Hill has been home to second chances; Pioneer Human Services manages four transitional housing apartments on Capitol Hill — three on Belmont — providing homes for those in recovery from drug addiction.
Some may worry how these facilities affect the community and neighboring businesses, but Hillary Young of Pioneer says the housing reduces crime, and “helps reduce homelessness by providing a safe, affordable housing option.”
At the heart of PHS services are its transitional living homes. PHS oversees over 800 transitional living homes in the state of Washington. The non-profit does receive tax-payer money but their Capitol Hill Homes according to Young, “are not specifically funded with state dollars” but notes “some residents receive state benefits that pay the fees for the housing.” According to their website, “nearly 60% of all mental health spending is from public funding sources.”
Where are the houses?
PHS in Capitol Hill has transitional housing in four locations and with 126 apartments (most in the Belmont corridor) for those seeking a half-way house to fill the gap between in-patient treatment and self-sufficiency.
- , at 1515 Belmont, has 40 furnished units, with on-site laundry, a shared kitchen, and bath, and utilities and basic cable included in the monthly fee of $366 – $372.
- , 1727 Belmont Ave, has 45 furnished units, and all units have private kitchenettes. Like the Chamberlain, they also have on-site parking, utilities and basic cable included in the monthly fee, and as an additional perk, residents may rent a parking space during their stay. Monthly rates are $451 for a single, and $605 for a couple
- , 1110 18th Avenue E, is the smallest of the four with ten furnished units, shared kitchen and bath, free street parking, on-site laundry and the same as the above. Singles here run $435 and a unit with a private bath is $535.
- , 1733 Belmont Ave, has thirty-one furnished units, each with a private kitchenette and paid parking available to rent. As with the others, on-site laundry, utilities, and basic cable are included in the monthly fee of $451 for individuals and $605 for couples.
All of the buildings are named after founding members of the PHS organization, Young said.
In addition to the homes in Capitol Hill, PHS has transitional housing in First Hill, Squire Park, Columbia City, and Tacoma.
Who lives there?
Young said the main residents of their Capitol Hill facilities are “adults who have been clean and sober for at least 30 days and are committed to maintaining sobriety,” and can stay “up to two years” at the properties.
Tenants must stay in compliance with the ‘clean and sober’ policy which PHS enforces by sending case managers to each housing unit Monday-Friday. Residents meet their case managers at least weekly and resident councils add another level of accountability for the communities.
To support their sobriety, residents are encouraged to attend an outpatient facility down off Denny Way for counseling and support. If case managers suspect a resident is relapsing, continued participation in the program requires drug testing.
Young says PHS provides a “safe, affordable, housing option for people who otherwise may be forced to live on the streets.” The facilities may not be the first kind you’d pick to have as neighbors but there’s a lot to be said for making space on the Hill for second chances.
i’m all for making space on the hill for second chances but i think phs needs to do a better job monitoring these houses. i live right around the corner from the three on belmont (summit and howell) and have to walk past these houses almost daily. i can say from personal experience that i don’t believe that they are drug free.
there needs to be a consistent, 24 hour, on-site presence at these houses. residents shouldn’t just be encouraged to attend the outpatient facility; it should be mandatory. as should drug testing. these are vulnerable individuals who can be easily tempted into relapse by drug dealers who know they have an easy, concentrated consumer base. and i’ve seen drug deals and prostitution happening around these houses. this then leads to other crimes in our neighborhood.
two instances in march and one in may come to mind immediately.
i’m all for, and encourage, diversity in my neighborhood and welcome these transitional houses. i just wish that phs would provide a more significant support presence at their locations.
We also have a ton of comparable facilities in the rectangle outlined by Union and Cherry/James and 14th/19th Avenues. Mostly, the residents and facility managers are avoiding direct interaction, although you hear many loud conversations and inhale a lot of second-hand smoke. It would probably help everybody to get to know each other better; that would require some creativity and commitment on everybody’s part. I understand why these types of facilities are where they are. But we definitely wouldn’t mind if Magnolia, Leschi, and some other well-to-do districts would step up and welcome transitional housing or even what we think of as halfway houses in their midst. As it is, the de-facto segregation of the residents keeps everybody firmly in their places.
I agree 100%. More is needed to monitor these facilities.
Agreed, especially regarding Magnolia, Ballard, Green Lake, Sandpoint, etc. Were I an addict in recovery I imagine putting me on Capitol Hill or in the CD would be like putting a dieter in a cake shop. I couldn’t do it. And failing at recovery often means your life. Think about that: life or death is in the balance. People in recovery should have the option of being in areas where they don’t face drug dealing on their doorstep, and other neighborhoods should pay their social debt by hosting social services rather than having downtown, the hill and the CD house the majority.
Don’t need to be an urban planner to see these spaces are inadequete, bordering on degrading housing. Bedbugs, hard drugs, prostitution, darkly lit corners. It may not be an ‘unsafe area’ but the level of dignity for residents, is barely acceptable. You need to be blind to believe these spaces are sober spaces. I invite anyone who thinks so to walk down the west sidewalk of Belmont between 11pm and 11am. The most unfortunate part of the situation is that the potential exists for a real space for recovery. With some oversight, the plans can function. Until then, I say to PHS, ‘clean up your act’
THIS for sure! On more than one occasion two guys have harassed my girlfriend when she left my apartment in the morning to walk to work. Plus I’ve been offered drugs i don’t even know how many times outside of those houses mentioned on Belmont. I don’t even walk on that side of the street anymore. I understand people need a “second (or seventieth) chance” but that shit needs to be better monitored. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody policing over there…you know, until somebody OD’s or gets stabbed.
I completely agree. The residence I live near on Summit, the Hudson House, seems to be a hotbed of crime. Living across from insane, drug-addled bums keeps the rent low, but that’s about it. In terms of “decreasing crime” as the halfway house profiteers allege, that’s a lie. This system merely concentrates the crime in certain areas so that the rest of the community can avoid it if they so choose. Meanwhile my neighborhood is a great place to buy heroin, from what I hear. It’s good to know we’re taking one for the team.
Also, I contacted the management of this building after a particular incident one night, during which a group of rowdy drunken folks with huge bottles of booze shouted that the management of the Hudson House was gone for the evening, so anyone could come over. I asked the management if this was true, and they basically admitted it, saying that there had been a “staff change” recently. Great. Thanks for staying on top of it, Pioneer.
If Pioneer Human Services manages over 800 residences (yikes!) in Washington state, they must be collecting a huge amount of rent money every month. They probably also get grants from various government agencies. The least we taxpayers should expect is that the places be monitored in an effective manner, especially including onsite staff for every residence and mandatory treatment for those who live there, to minimize the problems of ongoing drug/alcohol abuse.
Is PHS a “nonprofit”? If so, what are the salaries of the people who run the agency? How many of their residences have adequate staffing? And exactly what are their funding sources? What is their gross income each month? I think the answers would be very illuminating as to what PHS is up to, and why there are so many problems for surrounding neighbors.
My office is between Belmont and Boylston, and we have to keep the doors to the bathrooms locked during business hours to keep the neighboring drug addicts from going in there and shooting up.
To the other neighbors who have to put up with this, I urge you to contact the staff, anyone on the Board of Directors, or anyone in the executive offices, anytime, day or night when there is a drug problem or you see a crime in progress.
Here is a link to all the staff and their Board of Directors. I’m sure you can track down their phone numbers: http://www.pioneerhumanservices.org/about/board/
wonder if developer/slumlord Peter Sikov is still involved in these buildings
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/County-s-mentally-ill
I’ve been living on Belmont Ave for over a year now (as I write this, people are marching in the streets preaching to the choir, banging on pans for some odd reason I’m not sure I’d care to know about)…
And my girlfriend swears she heard gunshots last night and feel like I see the same bums on the street, day after day asking for money, doing God knows what with it – when like all of us, they could use that same time and energy to get better and do something constructive with their lives.
Like most people, I’m all for second chances, but I also believe in live and let live. No one’s had it easy around here, but you don’t see me breaking into buildings (ours was broken into 3 times), vandalizing or preaching in the streets of how you should or shouldn’t live their life.
Thanks everyone for your comments. I’m in agreement with everyone here and look forward to seeing Capitol Hill somehow improving this situation – letting use ALL live and let live (which seems like a no brainer to me).
I live on Summit and can not walk my dog or in this area most of the time because the drug dealers are hanging out all over the streets. Plus the drug seekers. The few times I have tried to call the Police due to gun fire or other obvious criminal activity no Officer has even shown up to investigate the matter. It is a travisty I pay 4500 dollars a year in taxes and can not even walk the streets I live on. shame on you!
“residents shouldn’t just be encouraged to attend the outpatient facility; it should be mandatory. as should drug testing.” Couldn’t agree more. I’m all for helping others and I understand people make mistakes. But we can’t just let those who have a proven record of shooting up in these areas to continue to do so. I think the heart is in the right spot, but thinking it through has to come with it.