Grayson (Image: SF.gov)
As it touts the success of the program in keeping people housed, King County’s “Health Through Housing” Capitol Hill apartment building is ready to welcome its first residents after nearly three years of planning and preparation.
Just off Broadway, the four-story, 35-unit Sharyn Grayson House has been prepared to provide supportive housing for “queer, transgender, two-spirit, Black, Indigenous, people of color” experiencing chronic homelessness as part of the county initiative,
The Lavender Rights Project and Chief Seattle Club residential building is named to honor Grayson, a Transgender advocate and Trans community icon.
The county says the opening of Sharyn Grayson House will add to the success of its Health Through Housing developments in helping to break the cycles of homelessness.
Residents of the program have disabilities, behavioral health conditions, or chronic illnesses and are provided with health care including mental health and addiction treatment as well as transportation for medical appointments.
This summer, King County reported 95% of the program’s supportive housing residents remained housed. In the county’s emergency housing, only 58% remained in housing.
Sharyn Grayson House’s welcoming of its first residents will come as the Capitol Hill area sees increased investment in supportive housing projects.
On Belmont Ave, one of the largest is taking shape where the Downtown Emergency Service Center is developing a 120-unit supportive housing apartment building with onsite services for its residents on the site of a trio of former transitional housing building from Pioneer Human Services it acquired for $6.5 million.
The influx of facilities and investments in Capitol Hill neighborhoods can trigger backlash including powering one run for the Seattle City Council.
County health officials have also been busy trying to soothe concerns about its planned $56 million Broadway Crisis Care Center with promises of a “Good Neighbor Policy,” Seattle Police “Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design” recommendations, and a new citizen advisory committee to oversee the center,
Sharyn Grayson House was created as a place for some of the county’s most vulnerable. Transgender queer, and people of color are more likely to experience homelessness and discrimination as they seek housing.
The Capitol Hill building stands four stories with 11 different plan types consisting of small efficiency dwelling units ranging from 279 to 314 square feet, and a one-bedroom unit with 388 square feet. A number of supportive housing locations and shelters for those experiencing homelessness do not allow pets — creating additional barriers — but for Sharyn Grayson House, most well-behaved pets will be accepted.
According to the Health Through Housing program, standard practice for its permanent supportive housing locations has residents contributing 30% of their household income towards rent, and these rental payments will assist with supporting program operations.
The Capitol Hill opening comes under the Health Through Housing measure passed by the King County Council in 2021 which aimed to house up to 1,600 people experiencing chronic homelessness by using hundreds of millions of dollars raised from a sales tax on properties in Seattle and five nearby cities.
To try to speed the process, the program focused on acquiring existing hotels and apartment building’s like the Capitol Hill property.
The apartment building was first developed as market-rate housing by a private developer and started construction nearly a decade ago in a process that was delayed and then brought to a standstill during the pandemic.
Powered by a 0.1% bump in county sales tax and $6 million diverted from King County Jail funding, the Health Through Housing initiative purchased the mostly completed Capitol Hill apartment building for $11.6 million in 2023. Nearly $4 million in investments have followed.
CHS reported here on the extensive process over the years since acquisition as the Lavender Rights Project and Chief Seattle Club collaborated on opening the Capitol Hill building.
Staffing the project has been a core challenges with a new program manager in place. Other jobs like a part-time “Overnight Advocate” are still being hired.
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We live a block away! So excited! Welcome new neighbors!!
Hard to imagine worse neighbors then a permanent supportive housing complex but glad we’re building them next to people who don’t mind.
It’s okay! They just have ‘chronic behavioral health issues’.
Housing First/harm reduction projects have been a total failure in Seattle. Each one that goes in turns into a hot spot for drug addicts, drug dealers, street disorder, and crime. Why does the city keep concentrating these buildings on Capitol Hill? After 15 years of this failed approach, why doesn’t Seattle and King County shift course to a treatment-based model? Why do voters keep on electing “progressives” that implement ideologically-based policies despite the growing mountain of evidence (e.g., overdose deaths, 911 calls to these buildings) that they aren’t working and are unsustainable? Why is Seattle taking in and building free apartments at $500,000/unit for addicts from the surrounding region and other states that come here homeless rather than sending them back to their communities where they could actually have a chance of success?
Oh look, it’s a troll who can’t read. It very plainly states in the story that 95% of the residents have remained housed and that they are paying rent. If you knew anything about the “queer, transgender, two-spirit, Black, Indigenous, people of color” experiencing chronic homelessness” communities they served you would know that the last thing many of them want is to be sent back to the communities they fled from – sending them back doesn’t give them “a chance at success”, they likely have either been kicked out of those communities or are not safe in them.go spout your nonsense on the Kiro comment sections.
It is great that 95% remain housed, at 30% income, that the community pays for through taxes.
Time will tell if this address becomes a hot spot incident location on the citizen app or a dot on the CoS SPD crime data map. ..just like the LIHI and other DESC buildings that become nuisance neighbors to everyone that has to share a block with them.
Reset counter to days without a person crisis to 0.
Well? WA. and blue states support the other 40 or so. That’s 20% going out the window to red states mainly. Especially the south and flyovers.
They have NO resources to fix their issues. They can’t balance budgets w/o our money. We DO have money. Wealth disparity has never been worse. Wages are flat for 50 years.
Gimme a break. Complain about poverty. Then create more using the current model.
Hey, how the vets project coming? Waiting for an update on the blog.
OH!…lol…TY for asking. There’s a concept on the table and we have a name for it. I forget what it was…lmao!
This gal named Dalia is in charge of organizing it. My thing is there’s similar projects happening now and are a little further along. I am signed up and waiting for orders. I am working with a group. We’ll see what exactly comes of it.
I am thinking of putting a table in front of the pedestal on Pine and Broadway at the school. “Talk to a Veteran” and just let people ask me all the questions they want. Kinda like the Mom’s giving hugs. Same kinda concept.
I’ll make a note and get back to you when we have a plan. It’s slowwwww…Welcome to govt.
curious that you seem to be characterizing queer folks experiencing homelessness as “addicts from the surrounding region”. capitol hill has been a queer neighborhood for decades, and when queer folks find ourselves dropped into the void at the bottom of capitalism we deserve to live among people who don’t want us dead- a measure of humanity that’s increasingly difficult to find as republicans turn the country to rot to protect their precious sexual predators.
Thank you to our neighbors at the Lavender Rights Project and Chief Seattle Club for all of their work on this. This is what true care for one’s community looks like!
Yes. Well done!
Hate to ask, but shouldn’t families with kids be a higher priority – my wife works at SPS and regularly tells me about kids living in hotel rooms long term since no housing available :(
what makes you think this building doesn’t welcome families?
I’m judging by the picture which I’m presuming is the residents, and the lack of any visible signs of children ?
That is the Lavender Rights Project team, as the caption notes
I am not sure prioritising families with children for housing in a similar setting would even comply with Fair Housing laws. As a private landlord I certainly cannot advertise any such preferences, nor could I advertise a preference for the people to be housed within this development. Not sure how these organizations and King County can specify certain groups for public housing using public dollars. A very gray legal area.
Yes, I don’t see how you can prioritize certain groups against others and also follow first in line. A no brainer would be to give property tax breaks for housing families with homeless kids etc.
You should take it to court then, Glenn. Being a landlord, you have all your tenants’ disposable income to spend, and it’s not like you have anything else going on
Once again you direct your energy at me, and not the issues. The hate is strong with this one.
Dude…You are a parrot for FOX news, conservative talk radio and literature. It’s as if you do not read the articles here. It’s the same with you on everything. Second verse , same as the first.
People do try to talk about issues. But I simply stopped with you for the reasons above.
Nobody wants to hear the same thing repeatedly and they start with the “Well? Do something?” You complain endlessly. What do you actually DO to help your cause? Nothing. So yes…The response is 100% appropriate with you and a couple others like you here. Never learn the full facts or tell the whole story.
I’m sorry to hear that students are living in hotel rooms long term because of the lack of housing. That is a situation that should not be happening in our society. We should be better than that.
With that being said, I don’t like the idea of pitting one group of people against another when it comes to housing. People from all walks of life need help putting a roof over their head in today’s world, and this facility is playing an important role in meeting that need. For all we know, some of the very students you mentioned your wife has been talking about may be among the people who will be moving into this new facility.
The article says this building has rooms that are 200-300sqft, which makes me think these particular units are not fit for families.
Most homeless policies would prioritize homeless families with children – would love to know where king county is on this, and how they end up in hotels long term. I believe Lowell had a fairly large homeless population, so yes they are in the neighbourhood.
“The county says the opening of Sharyn Grayson House will add to the success of its Health Through Housing developments in helping to break the cycles of homelessness.
Residents of the program have disabilities, behavioral health conditions, or chronic illnesses and are provided with health care including mental health and addiction treatment as well as transportation for medical appointments.”
Now reread your dumbass comment.
How about DISABLED PEOPLE WITH MEDICAL NEEDS!?
Should they be first or last? Or just “a number”?
I hope that the folks who will be living there can form a true community, looking out for each other, and caring about the property.
Serious question: are residents prioritized based on skin color, sex, sexual orientation, or any other protected identity characteristic? It sure seems like they are. Wouldn’t that violate federal housing laws?
Also, what on earth is an “overnight advocate”, and who pays their salary? The county, AKA all of us?
Serious question. Do you EVER have a thread of comprehension????
People who’ve experienced CRONIC HOMELESSNESS.
“Residents of the program have disabilities, behavioral health conditions, or chronic illnesses and are provided with health care including mental health and addiction treatment as well as transportation for medical appointments.”
If you are disabled you get special treatment. Look it up.
Quit being so lazy and LEARN SOMETHING FIRST! READ!
omg you people. I mean? Jason does a really great job here writing copy. Like really great. Everything you need to know is here for you. Just because nobody is impressed with all the questions and your opinions? Doesn’t make your opinions educated. Or your questions. Clearly.
Everyone wants to come down on me. That’s fair. But be accurate.
It would seem that the idea should be to INTEGRATE people of ALL BACKGROUNDS into diverse communities. That is absolutely not happening here.
We are already tens of thousands of units short; if we continue to focus on specific “pet projects” targeting this group or that group then we are not only handicapping our goal of promoting integration, we are accentuating our differences. Not to mention chopping efforts to crank out sheer volume off at the knees.
this is 35 units for people who get extra stepped-on, organized by people familiar with those experiences, reclaimed from a construction that was originally intended to suck rent out of random people with way more options. I’m queer, nearly my whole family’s queer, most of my neighbors are queer, and it’s really stabilizing to feel like I belong where I make my home. Queerness is very much my foreground. Mixed communities at large are especially bad, right now, at fostering that feeling for anyone but straight white folks. If I lost my housing and had to try to get on my feet with maga followers next door I’d feel a lot less safe- there’s no way I could live where I came from 20 years ago. Helping people who are most directly targeted by oppression only makes sense (unless you pretend it’s only a “background”)
They don’t understand that these people are disabled. That there’s a job opening for an “Overnight Advocate” which would give any thinking persons pause.
Disabled + “Overnight advocate + medical support infrastructures on sight = Families ? *head desk* *head desk* *head desk* *head desk* *head desk*
I mean…I am disabled and need all kinds of stuff provided to me for a healthier exitance. But this facility is even above my level of disability. I am highly functional compared to the folks who are going to stay there. I get pounded on psychologically. But not like the LGBTQ and people flunking brown paper bag tests all over the country.
I am thinking I’d give up my spot to one of them before a family or regular schmegular peoples. And I am 100% disabled. I’d still give up my spot. I see people out here in their homes. The bus stop. In a wheelchair. One leg. All weekend during the storm. In the SODA zone. I’m thinking it’d be a great spot for that dude. There’s nowhere for them to go. That tells you they should absolutely be a priority.
Let’s see…You and I brainstorm the reasons families should take a back seat to disabled LGBTQ et all in this new project.
I’ll go first…Women are prioritized by everyone (except MAGA/Incels).
Women’s services: Several pages in the phone book. They include families as well. Single women especially with kids. But women in general have a plethora of services.
Men’s Services: AA, NA et ilk. A homeless shelter. Food bank. Father’s rights groups. It takes about 1/2 a page to list. Less actually.
So I argue this is a desperately needed service that keeps getting back burner-ed for “families and people making 40k a year.” projects and services.
why did this building sit finished and vacant for over three years?
It’s about time this building opened. Construction was complete about 3-4 years ago, then it sat empty for quite awhile until the County bought it in 2003. Then, apparently, problems were discovered which necessitated a re-do of parts of the building, with an additional $4 million price tag, presumably paid for by taxpayers. I hope this investment was worth it and that the residents do not cause problems for the surrounding area, as they have at other such buildings.
Cost per unit, factoring in the upgrades you mention, was undoubtedly STAGGERING. “Celebrating” an additional 35 units is a joke, really, when we need thousands upon thousands more. We aren’t gonna achieve those thousands with “boutique” projects like this one, that’s for sure. And frankly, the optics are that developers are “dumping” troubled buildings onto the market for the city or county to buy up, conveniently washing their hands of the issues while we’re stuck with the bill to retrofit.
Yes, why do anything? 35 people? 35 bad jokes you don’t want to spend your money on.
Dooood…Covid recovery has been a bizatch. It has to be staffed etc. Money was allocated when they allocated it whenever that was. There’s a million moving parts. Inflation is inflating everything nationwide. Name something coming in on time and on budget? Name one.
the building was complete and vacant for three years. like it was literally done and ready, all the while the park a block away was covered in tents. this should be a massive scandal, but it won’t be. just par for the course for the homeless-industrial complex.