SEATTLE WATERFRONT
OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOCIAL SERVICE ENRICHMENT

PLANNING IN CONTEXT AUTUMN QUARTER 2015

Mihai Baltatescu | Katelyn Lawton | Olivia Schronce
Mercedes Stroeve | Elaine Xie

 
 Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Introduction: Seattle’s Growing Homeless Population

Purpose and Scope

SERVICE ANALYSIS - Gaps and Fulfillments

Food Services
Health Services
Shelter Services

OUR FINDINGS & NEXT STEPS

Looking Forward: Resource Connectivity
Food and the Future
Employment Program Opportunities
Case: New York Bronx Environmental Stewardship Training
Academy
Looking Forward: Health and Partnerships
Health and the Future
Returning Dignity Through Social Services
Case: Portland Night Strike
Case: Mobile Bathrooms in San Francisco CA
Case: Lava Mae, San Francisco CA
Looking Forward: Shelters and Storage
Shelter and the Future
Storage
Case: The Bin, Los Angeles CA

Looking Forward to the Future of Seattle’s Homeless and the Seattle Waterfront

Bibliography
 
 
 

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Executive Summary

Working with the City of Seattle’s

Office of the Waterfront and Friends of the
Waterfront, the goal of this project was to
identify the current state of homelessness in
Seattle, conduct an analysis regarding
deficiencies in the social service categories of
food, health, and shelter, and produce
recommendations and next steps for
creating a more inclusive and resourceful
waterfront for ​all.
 
With a large homeless presence at the
waterfront, the removal of the Alaskan Way
Viaduct is and already has displaced those
who use it as shelter. Homelessness in the
waterfront neighborhood will require a
slightly different approach than other areas
in Seattle due to limited availability of space
and high property values. In formulating our
recommendations, we used a dual-approach
that considered both temporary and
permanent solutions that improve quality of
life for homeless individuals along the
waterfront. We also recognized that new
services implemented should not be
permanent because it implies that
homelessness is1. Through the new
waterfront design and construction we’d like
to open opportunities to create a movement
that will ​
EMPOWER ​ individuals rather than
placate them.

1
 ​
M. Foster, Office of the Waterfront Director, personal communication, December 1st 2015. 

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Introduction: Seattle’s Growing Homeless Population
 
“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only
when, they are created by everybody2.” -Jane Jacobs

Homelessness is an issue with a relatively simple manifestation that is powered by

a set of systems that are complicated, hard to understand, and forced into action by
many moving parts. The problem of homelessness has been recognized for some time
now and City of Seattle has even gone so far as to publish a 10-year-plan on how to deal
with with the issue3 . Since the plan was published in 2005 and has reached the end of it’s
lifespan today, studies have found that the amount of people spending the night in the
street had actually increased by 21% since last year4 . The homeless population faces
many struggles and obstacles meeting their necessary day to day needs such as
showering, using a restroom, eating, as well as sleeping. These resources are present but
they are far apart and are difficult to track down. In the advent of these worsening
conditions it is imperative to create a civic space that fills in the gaps between what
people on the streets need and what they don’t have access to as well as creating a space
for equitable engagement that feels more like a neighborhood wherein all can thrive.
The Seattle Waterfront was first used by the Duwamish people before American
settlers came. After colonization it served as a sawmill drop-off and factory location
before more and more development and zoning forced production elsewhere and it
started to form what we would recognize today. Generally speaking it is not an area of
the Seattle downtown that is heavily populated with housing which means it is more of a
destination for people rather place of residence. This also means that there are few
permanent residents located in the area that would object to homeless taking up shelter
for themselves and with plenty of unused and undesirable spaces around the result is
large concentrations of homeless in key locations within the Waterfront district.
However, we understand that mapping the discrete locations of these
concentrations is a futile task due to the Waterfront renovations that will be taking place
over the next couple of years. First, the viaduct will go down entirely and secondly, there
will be massive construction projects to revitalize and energize areas of the waterfront
including several piers and greenway projects. In the wake of these projects we know
that pre-existing homeless populations will be further displaced to other locations
making a map of their current location rapidly outdated. However, resources that could
prove useful are informational tools in the shape of a map or a directory of social service
providers to share with those who need assistance accessing these resources. This report

2
 J. Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, pg. 238, 1961.  
3
 ​
City of Seattle, Human Services Department, ​ /emergencyservices/tenyearplan.htm 
http://www.seattle.gov/humanservices​
4
 Seattle/King County Coalition on Homeless, One Night Count Study, 
http://www.homelessinfo.org/what_we_do/one_night_count/2015_results.php 
 

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begins this process by exploring the current state of social services, identifying existing
problems, sharing stories of hardships, examining case studies, and providing
recommendations that can aid the redesign of the area in creating a safe and equitable
environment of civility and mutual respect.

Purpose and Scope

In January 2015, One Night Count found that 3,772 men, women, and children
were living outside and unsheltered in King County, 2,800 in Seattle alone. This is a 21%
increase from the 2014 count 5. In response to the ever-rising number of homeless Seattle
residents, in November 2015, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray signed a Proclamation of Civil
Emergency and allocated $5.3 million towards growing demands for services which
included homelessness prevention efforts, expanding outreach to connect those in need
to services and shelter, and meeting basic needs.6 Prevention effort funds are used to
quickly move people through the emergency shelter system and into stable housing,
support education, and leverage housing vouchers. They will also be invested in building
data collection capacity and other health and hygiene precautions. Funds to expand
outreach efforts will support three new multi-disciplinary outreach teams (MDOT) and
mobile vans to provide behavioral health services. Funds for meeting basic needs will be
spent on adding more beds in existing service continuum. 7
In support of these efforts, as the City of Seattle continues the implementation of
the Waterfront Seattle design, they want to ensure that the established homeless
communities do not suffer in the wake of these changes. For these reasons, our group
was tasked with analyzing the current state of homelessness and social services along
the waterfront to identify deficiencies, anticipate future needs, and recommend
solutions. The objective is to make the new waterfront neighborhood inclusive to the
homeless population by providing resources and services that can improve their quality
of life and provide opportunities to transition out of homelessness. These resources and
services need to be more accessible and comprehensive in order to reach everyone who
desires to use them.
As we developed the scope and direction of the project, we recognized that
homelessness in the waterfront neighborhood would require a slightly different
approach than other areas in Seattle due to limited availability of space and high
property values that restrict the development of permanent service facilities. In
formulating our recommendations, we committed to consider both temporary and
permanent solutions. We also recognized that new services implemented should not be
permanent because it implies that homelessness is8 . Through the new waterfront design

5
  ​
One Night Count, Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness, January 2015. 
6
​ity of Seattle, “Final Executive Action Plan”. 2015. 
 C
http://murray.seattle.gov/wp­content/uploads/2015/10/FINAL­Exec­Action­Plan.pdf 
7
​ity of Seattle, “Final Executive Action Plan”. 2015. 
 C
http://murray.seattle.gov/wp­content/uploads/2015/10/FINAL­Exec­Action­Plan.pdf 
8
​. Foster, Office of the Waterfront Director, personal communication, December 1st 2015. 
 M

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and construction we hope to encourage a movement that will empower individuals
through new social service programs and resources. With these considerations in mind,
we divided our project into three phases:

PHASE 1:​
First, we identified current services offered near the waterfront and created a
map that categorized these services by shelter, food, and health.

PHASE 2:​ Then, we analyzed the map to identify deficiencies and gaps in the current
services offered. Through conversations with local service providers and testimonies
from people who have used these social services, we gained insight into additional issues
within existing services. We then analyzed the feedback to identify high priority needs in
the waterfront community.

PHASE 3:​ Lastly, we studied best practices in other urban cities that could potentially be
implemented in Seattle to help meet the needs of the waterfront community. Through
this research, we formulated recommendations and next steps that should be taken.

SERVICE ANALYSIS - Gaps and Fulfillments

 
Food Services
“If you can walk in Seattle, you can eat.” - Brian Anderson, Pike Place Food Bank

Food services for low income and the homeless that reside near the waterfront are
easily accessible due to the large influence of Pike Place Market and the Seattle Food
Coalition. The network of food banks in the Seattle area and food programs that partner
with King County provide opportunities to a large number of people.

Pike Place Food Bank

In 2014, the Pike Place Food Bank served a total of 31,279 households annually
​
(both new and returning), which is an average of 298 households each distribution day
resulting in a total of 41,015 individuals. Each week they deliver groceries to 80
households. Every Tuesday and Thursday the food bank is open for shoppers, on the
third Wednesday of each month they hold “Boutique Day” providing clothing, small
household items, and other non-food item9 .
The Pike Place Food Bank is a low-barrier food bank, they ask minimal information
from their shoppers- name, age, number of individuals in household, zip code, and a box
to check if they are homeless. Based on this information 15% of those served are
homeless, all are very low-income.

9
 ​
B. Anderson, Manager of Pike Market Food Bank, personal communication, 9 November 2015 

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 The Pike Place Market partnerships are what make the market community a
valuable asset to the homeless community. While volunteering we met an individual
named Jessica. She shared with us her inspirational story of being homeless and finding
her way through the social service web to get what she needed. Jessica was a truck driver
for many years before she became disabled and found herself unemployed with little to
no savings because she had recently finished paying off her son’s student loan debt.
After getting into transitional housing Jessica was able to recover and get help the help
she needed. Jessica now volunteers at the Pike Place Food Bank and shares her story
with the community through the connections she’s made with the Pike Place Market
Foundation. Jessica advocated for the need of a resource center that helps individuals get
organized, find the help they need, and get connected. She describes her personal story
of how difficult it was to make doctor’s appointments without having a callback number
while facing the challenges of living under a bridge and battling chronic debilitating pain
that rendered her unable to seek out help. A resource center would alleviate the
compounded stress of people like Jessica who are facing these challenges that render
them homeless by providing them resources and organizational services10 .
A resource center could also provide insight on unique savings opportunities.
Many who fall under low income are aware of the financial benefits of EBT cards, WIC
stamps and Senior FMNP as well as provide access to resources like maps, addresses,
and business hours of local food banks. Without access to a phone or computer this
information is difficult to find. The information is out there (Seattle Food Committee has
a food bank locator service on their website, see Figure 1) but a resource center or
satellite offices would be able to provide a point of contact for individuals and families
looking for food, getting connected to a doctor, or getting a job. What they might not be
aware of is the opportunity to save further through these resources at Pike Place Market.
The Pike Place Market not only accepts EBT cards, WIC and Senior FMNP but has also
implemented their Fresh Bucks Food Stamp Match Program that doubles the dollar in
fresh bucks using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) creating Fresh
Bucks that can be spent like cash on fresh produce at farm stands11 . The Pike Place Food
Bank will be partnering with King County’s Public Health’s SNAP Ed program at the start
of 2016 to help clients cook healthy, nutritious and good tasting meals from the food
items available at the food bank12 .

10
 ​
J. Stevens, personal communication at Pike Market Food Bank, 17 November 2015 
11
​
 Fresh Bucks Program & SNAP, Pike Place Market, ​ http://pikeplacemarket.org/fresh­bucks­program­snap 
12
​. Anderson, Manager of Pike Market Food Bank, personal communication, 9 November 2015 
  B

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Figure 1: Food Bank locator service offered online by the Seattle Food Committee 13.

13
 ​
Seattle Food Committee, Food Locator Service, ​
http://www.seattlefoodcommittee.org/food­bank­map/ 

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Figure 2: Food Banks located around the Seattle Waterfront

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Health Services
        ​Health and hygiene services in the downtown core offer treatments and services
 ​
that support all walks of life to restore dignity, improve quality of life, and just feel better.
With the Pike Market Clinic so close to the waterfront community, its impact and
contribution to caring for the health and well-being of those who live there has
demonstrated to us that expanding and furthering health services through partnerships
would allow this service area to grow.

Below are descriptions of the three health service organizations that explain who
they are and what they do. The Pike Place Care Clinic, Urban Rest Stop, and Compass
Hygiene are all prevalent service providers for the homeless community as well as
organizations that are physically closest to the waterfront and downtown areas.  

NeighborCare, HHOT, and Reach

The Pike Place Care Clinic is run by a non-profit organization called NeighborCare
​
that has 24 clinics in the greater Seattle area, NeighborCare offers medical, dental, and
behavioral health care services that focus on low-income and uninsured families and
individuals as well as immigrants and homeless. Through their relationships with nurses
and providers they are able to accept everyone for care and will never turn anyone away
14
. The Housing Health Outreach Team (HHOT) is an extension of NeighborCare and
works primarily to manage the homeless population, they partner with Seattle-King
County Public Health’s Health Care for the Homeless Network to provide care to
vulnerable individuals who are or have been homeless15 . NeighborCare also works
closely with the REACH Program of Evergreen Treatment Services to support chronically
homeless and addicted adults with high needs in downtown Seattle16 .

NeighborCare’s ​
Annual 2014 Report17
- 215,296 visits to 55,118 people
- 7,695 emergency dental visits
- 8,558 homeless or recently homeless individuals
- Provided supportive nursing to 800 chronically homeless adults transitioning into
housing
 
Urban Rest Stop

14
 Z. Lee, Clinic Manager, Pike Market Medical Clinic, personal communication, 30 November 2015 
15
NeighborCare,​ http://www.neighborcare.org/patient­programs/programs­homeless­patients/housing­health­outreach­team­hhot 
16
 ​
NeighborCare, ​ http://www.neighborcare.org/node/464 
17
 ​
NeighborCare, Annual Report 2014, ​ http://www.neighborcare.org/sites/default/files/NCHAnnRpt2014_Eversion.pdf 
 

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 Seattle’s Urban Rest Stop is a Hygiene Center located downtown. This center
provides restrooms, showers and laundry facilities to homeless men, women and
children within a clean, safe and dignified environment. Patrons receive free toiletries
such as tooth brushes, tooth paste, disposable razors, shampoo and soap. Patrons may
borrow overalls while washing their clothes. they also provide additional information and
referrals for additional services18 .

Compass’s Hygiene Center

The Compass Hygiene Center in Pioneer Square is the organization’s headquarters,
the Hygiene Center offers homeless men and women a place to use the restroom, take a
hot shower and do a load of laundry. It’s open on a drop-in basis during regular business
hours.19

The locations we have identified in our map below (figure 3) show the limited
number of health services and the large distance between each location. These locations
are not very accessible and many require appointments, calls, or emails. Walk in’s do not
guarantee people access due to the high demand of these types of services. These
barriers hinder the ability to get a job, build relationships, and connect with others. We
recommend increasing these services and placing them in neglected areas of the
waterfront. Our recommendation involves mobile services that are easier to access so
that homeless people can be taken care of and provide another way to get people
equipped with what they need to get a job.

18
 ​
Urban Rest Stop, urbanreststop.org 
19
​ompass Housing Alliance: Hygiene Center 
 C
http://www.compasshousingalliance.org/what­we­do­top/day­services/hygiene­center/  

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Figure 3: Health and hygiene services that provide showers, restrooms, and laundry service as well as medical services.

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Shelter Services
“People are opting to stay outside and face the elements rather than being in a shelter
because of mismanagement, abuse, and violence20 .”
- Jackie St. Louis. Metropolitan Improvement District

When the viaduct is removed, a home to many

homeless will be destroyed. The waterfront’s
displacement of hundreds raises the question of
where they will find shelter. The placement and limited
space in shelters is currently a gap we see the
waterfront being able to fill in the future. Shelters that
serve specific sexes are located far apart from one
another and often split apart couples and families.
Many shelters also require homeless individuals to
have referrals from other organizations (such as
REACH). The map below (figure 4) shows there are
many shelter services; these include emergency
shelters​ transitional housing, and permanent housing. Through our research and
, ​
discussions with the Metropolitan Improvement District, we discovered that
mismanagement, violence, and sexual abuse in shelters causes people to choose to face
the elements rather than deal with the unsafe environment cultivated in shelters21 . The
One Night Count22 results from January 2015 determined a high number of men. women,
and children sleeping outside despite the large volume of shelters available downtown.

Below are descriptions of the four shelter and housing organizations that explain
who they are and what they do. Catholic Community Services, Compass’s Emergency
Shelter and Transitional Housing, and Plymouth Housing Group represent different levels
of housing offered near the waterfront. Their services offered us insight on the referral
process and gave us a better understanding of the shelter and housing system in
Seattle’s downtown area and near the waterfront.

Catholic Community Services

The Catholic Community Services provide a wide array of services including
transitional housing, homeless shelters, case management, rental and utility assistance,
low rate bus and transportation tickets, rehousing, mental health assistance, access to
various resources, counseling, and family preservation. Catholic Community Services is
also partnered with Noel House, a women’s emergency shelter where they gain access

20
 ​J. St. Louis, Street Outreach Manager for the Metropolitan Improvement District, personal communication, 25 November 2015. 
21
 J​. St. Louis, Street Outreach Manager for the Metropolitan Improvement District, personal communication, 25 November 2015. 
22
 O​ne Night Count, Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness, January 2015. 

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from the Women’s Referral Center, St. Martin de Porres, a men’s overnight shelter and
Lazarus Day Center 23.
 
Compass’s Emergency Shelter: Hammond House Women’s Shelter
Hammond House Women’s Shelter is located in downtown Seattle and provides up
to 40 homeless women a place to sleep. Guests are served dinner and breakfast at the
shelter, and have access to case management and support services. Access to Hammond
House is by referral only through the Women’s Referral Center. (The Blaine Center,
Compass’s Men’s emergency shelter, is located outside the waterfront scope along
Denny Way near the Seattle Center. Access to the shelter is by referral only, from partner
organizations and our​ Client Services Office​
in Pioneer Square.)24

Compass’s Transitional Housing: Pioneer Square Men’s Program

Provides 79 units of transitional housing for homeless men in the headquarters
building at Pioneer Square. the Pioneer Square Men’s Program has been a stop for many
on their way out of homelessness and into permanent housing. The clean and sober
program offers case management and resources to help participants find stability and
overcome barriers to housing. Twenty-eight beds in the Men’s Program are reserved for
veterans referred by the VA Hospital, King County Veterans, and the Washington State
Dept of Veterans Affairs. (Cascade Women’s Program, Compass’s Women’s Transitional
Housing, is located outside the waterfront scope in South Lake Union)25 .

Plymouth Housing Group

The Plymouth Housing Groups is a “housing first” program that provides permanent
supportive housing, serves homeless single adults, almost all with at least one disability,
many with multiple disabilities, including chemical addictions, mental illness, chronic
physical illnesses. They have very little, if any, income. They have about 1000 units of
permanent supportive housing, mostly in the downtown area. These are mostly very
small studio apartments along with some SRO’s – (single room occupancy units without
private bathrooms). Some of their buildings have part-time nursing support and all have
on-site case managers and a front desk staffed 24/7 with controlled access to the
building. They have many partners including: several programs of Harborview Hospital,
Harborview Mental Health, REACH, DESC, many of the community mental health
agencies, jail health services, and many others.26

The map below (figure 4) shows a concentrated amount of emergency shelters,

transitional housing, and permanent housing near the waterfront area that implies that

23
 ​
Catholic Community Services, personal communication, November 2015  
24
​ompass Housing Alliance: Hammond House Women’s Shelter 
 C
http://www.compasshousingalliance.org/what­we­do­top/emergency­shelter/hammond­house/  
25
 ​
Compass Housing Alliance: Pioneer Square Men’s Program 
http://www.compasshousingalliance.org/what­we­do­top/transitional­housing/pioneer­square­mens­program/  
26
 ​
Plymouth Housing Group, personal communication, November 2015  

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individuals have plenty of access to seek shelter. However, One Night Count says there is
still a high number of people sleeping on the streets27 . After learning of shelter
mismanagement and unsafe environment, our team concluded that the best solution
would not be to produce more housing but to looking into the challenges people face
sleeping in public. These challenges include protecting your belongings while you sleep.
Not only is this an issue with sleeping but also with job interviews, and walking into
businesses highly noticed. Providing a storage facility for personal items would give many
individuals peace of mind and allow them to separate themselves from their things.

27
​eattle/King County Coalition on Homeless, One Night Count Study, 
 S
http://www.homelessinfo.org/what_we_do/one_night_count/2015_results.php 
 

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Figure 4: Seattle waterfront emergency shelters, transitional housing, and permanent housing.

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OUR FINDINGS & NEXT STEPS
 
 
The following section aligns our service areas of food, health, and shelter with
recommendations to improve and connect the waterfront community to resources, build
relationships, and foster a movement to empower lives.

Looking Forward: Resource Connectivity

Food and the Future

There are many opportunities to find and receive food in the downtown and Seattle
area, however, donated items are usually things that weren’t popular in stores, are near
or already expired, or are limited based on donor regulations. With this system, are we
able to cater to the low-income/homeless community ​ culturally​
? How are the services
inviting or appealing28 ? Could we close some of these gaps by partnering with culture
based donors such as Uwajimaya or specialty stores in the Market?

The timing of food services are not cohesive, if you’re homeless and hungry finding
food takes strategy. Navigating through the requirements needed to access a food bank
and on which days between what time periods they are open for business. If all food
banks had a cohesive schedule, would this improve the accessibility and stamp out
hunger in the city more effectively?

The Pike Place Market Foundation provides funding for Pike Market’s Senior Center
and NeighborCare Clinic. It’s newest project concerning the waterfront is the
development of a Neighborhood Center, the space set aside for the center is only 1100
square feet but with added restrooms it will be even less. It is planned for the south
corner of the new expansion on Western Ave, next to the Market parking lot. The
Foundation has been primarily focused on funding the project and not necessarily on
what the center will look like or detail on how it will function29 .

Resource connectivity through an expansion of the Metropolitan Improvement

District’s outreach program and partnering with Pike Place Market Foundation to bring
the Neighborhood Center project to life would not only make navigating the network of
social services easier but would also increase the accessibility of services by raising
awareness, spreading the word, and connecting people to people to find the help they
need to better their quality of life.

28
 ​
J. St. Louis, Street Outreach Manager for the Metropolitan Improvement District, personal communication, 25 November 2015. 
29
​. Gould, Food Access Coordinator with the Pike Place Market Foundation, 25 November 2015 
 D

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Employment Program Opportunities
Case: New York Bronx Environmental Stewardship Training Academy
At a time when unemployment in the South Bronx neighborhood was 25 percent,
Majora Carter and other associates put together this job training and placement system.
Since its establishment, the program has maintained a job replacement rate exceeding
80% and 10% of participants have gone to college. BEST Academy runs a full-time,
12-week program that recruits individuals aged 18 to 40 from low income communities.
To be eligible for BEST Academy, an applicant must have a high school diploma or
equivalent. Training includes: basic carpentry, electrical, HVAC, painting, and plumbing
repair and maintenance, green construction, building maintenance and custodial services
using green products, green technologies, energy conservation, insulation and air
sealing, retrofitting, etc.30

Application to the Seattle Waterfront

As BEST Academy focuses on low-income
communities, the Seattle waterfront cannot plainly
copy its mode because we are facing a different
demography – homeless communities. Many members
in homeless communities are below low income and
don’t have high school diplomas. Thus, an academy or
program that fits them should have shorter period,
lower administrative barriers and less technical
complexity. We have heard successful examples of
hiring homeless people as hourly security guards and
this can definitely be a future trend to provide employment opportunities. The new
waterfront will incorporate more civic installations that require attendance for the edible
garden, new landscape, storefronts, and etc.; these could open opportunities for
engaging homeless with the space in a positive, beneficial way.

A corporation between the City and a near-waterfront non-profit is the key for this
training program to succeed. The funding of this program can come from governmental
grants or raised by organizations. Vacant office buildings, churches, or shelters can be
rented/borrowed as temporary classrooms. Program promotion materials, and
associated job posts can be distributed to shelters and food banks. In addition to
word-of-mouth, a waterfront job posting billboard could be an ideal way to spread the
word and spur interest. This employment program will create jobs itself (school staffs),
and will also open opportunities for engaging homeless with the space in a positive,
beneficial way. the idea of creating half mile walking buffer to determine walkability and
accessibility.

30
 Sustainable South Bronx. Bronx Environmental Stewardship Academy (BEST). Online: http://www.ssbx.org/best­academy/  

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Looking Forward: Health and Partnerships

Health and the Future 

The umbrella of health services extends in a variety of different directions that
encompass physical health, mental health, dental, substance abuse, etc. The multiplicity
of health services makes it difficult to provide a one stop shop for all those needs,
extending services in clinics like the Pike Place Medical Clinic are always areas that could
be improved, but without financial and staffing resources the expansion of services is not
a viable solution. Zandra with the Pike Place Clinic uncovered the need for a treatment
center that can meet the demand of service our city’s needs and create a community
with trust where people feel safe, respected, and confident31. At first glance, a
“Neighborhood Center” sounds like a solution that could fill that void; providing
connections to legal help, referrals to transitional housing, substance abuse help, and
more, however, access to financial and management resources would be a challenge
resulting in the inability to meet demand. After searching for innovative and unique ways
to combat the root of homelessness we were able to compile practices that have worked
in Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles to serve the homeless community and work
at restoring basic human functions outside of food and shelter, such as showering,
washing clothes, storing your possessions, getting hair cut, and finding a job.

Returning Dignity Through Social Service​

s

Case: Portland Night Strike

Under the​ Portland Burnside Bridge​ a benevolent movement happens almost every
Thursday night called Night Strike: 
Night Strike is a unique opportunity for people to gather under the Burnside Bridge on
“​
the park side of Naito Parkway every Thursday night and love people because people
matter. It is an opportunity for members of Portland’s homeless community to hang
out, enjoy a hot meal, receive a free haircut, shave, have their feet washed and have
their old shoes/clothes/sleeping bags replaced​ .”32
This project is initiated by a Portland non-profit called Bridgetown; however, it can also
be done by the communal effort from government and waterfront residents. Night Strike
does not require a permanent space, yet can still achieve an amazing outcome by serving
hundreds of people in a few hours. Members of homeless communities are able to enjoy
people’s charitable acts and then get to stay fresh for the following week.

Application to Seattle Waterfront

31
 ​
Z. Lee, Clinic Manager, Pike Market Medical Clinic, personal communication, 30 November 2015  
32
 Bridgetown Inc. Night Strike Because People Matter. Online: http://bridgetowninc.org/night­strike/ 

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 With the amount of non-profit organizations near the waterfront, a regular social
service gathering could be initiated and carried out through a collaboration among some
of these organizations. Mobility is one main attraction of such a program. Considering
the soaring land price at the waterfront, having an immovable property that purely
dedicates into philanthropy is challenging in reality, not mentioning the long-term
operation expense. Thus, a regular service congregation like Night Strike has a good
chance to earn community support that can sustain the long term.
 
Case: Mobile Bathrooms in San Francisco CA
Mobile bathrooms on wheels are guarded by attendants and have been so
successful that city officials say Portland, Oregon. Attendants working for a nonprofit
contracted by the city make sure the portable toilets stay sanitary and keep them stocked
with toilet paper, air freshener, soap, paper towels and seat covers. They also give users
a courtesy knock after five minutes. It affords people some dignity to take care of a
human need.33

Application to Seattle Waterfront

34

Although the new waterfront design has planned to add one

more public restroom near the aquarium, there is still an
urgent demand of public restrooms at the staircase between
the Pike Place and the waterfront, where there is no room for
a permanent restroom. Mobile restrooms with attendants
could be the solution.

Case: Lava Mae, San Francisco CA

This shower bus program is carried out by a single-person-start-up nonprofit called
Lava Mae. They retrofit retired city buses into mobile shower buses. Each bus would have

33
 ​
The Associated Press, “Mobile bathroom program deemed a success in one San Francisco homeless community”. Nola.com. 
2015. http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/04/portable_toilets_homeless_san.html 
34
 ​
Staircase, Picture taken on Oct.23, 2015 

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PAGE 19
two shower stalls with also changing rooms, toilets, and laundry. “We repurpose retired
transportation buses into showers and toilets on wheels to deliver hygiene and restore
dignity.35 ” Says Leah. The organization is currently turning their model into a toolkit so
that other communities can make their own shower buses.
Learn more on how to replicate their service by contacting: ​ leah@lavamae.org 

Application to Seattle Waterfront

We had explored the various locations we could possibly implement this mobile
service recommendation around the waterfront. The map below (figure 5) shows the
three major social services around the Seattle waterfront. This visual has helped identify
the spatial distance between nodes of services as well as the volume of different
resources. the spatial analysis we performed on this map includes creating a half mile
buffer around the three food service locations. These locations were ideal for using a
buffer because they are evenly spaced apart in front of the waterfront. There is also a
common sang we continuously heard through our time volunteering and collecting
qualitative data for social services, which is “if you can walk in Seattle, you can eat”. That
gave us the idea of creating half mile walking buffer to determine walkability and
accessibility.

Prospect A

Prospect A is located on Alaskan Way between Leonora Street and

Pine Street and a second location on Alaskan Way and University
Street. Locating a mobile social resource here would help bring
inclusivity to the homeless population in the new waterfront
space. The location is near the end of the Viaduct where many
take shelter currently. It is also located in front of the Pike Place
Market. Once the viaduct is removed there will be improved
pedestrian connections from the market to the waterfront that
would make this location very accessible.

Prospect B

Prospect B is located on Marion Street and Western Avenue. This

space is along the Washington State Ferry pedestrian bridge that
connects from the waterfront up to Pioneer Square that is
currently being used as a shelter. It is assumed that one the
Viaduct is removed, more people will seek shelter under this
pedestrian bridge. That would make this location ideal for parking
a resource bus.

35
 ​ http://lavamae.org/ 
Lava Mae, ​

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PAGE 20
Figure 5: Parking location recommendations for a mobile resource service on the Seattle waterfront.

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Looking Forward: Shelters and Storage

Shelter and the Future

Our major finding through our shelter research was the limited amount of shelters
around the waterfront area to cope with the increasing number of homeless individuals.
We have learned that all shelters and resources require individuals to go through a
referral process. Thus, even with the current resource, a fair amount of people are still
sleeping outside in the cold. The shortage and fragmentation of shelters for the
homeless is an issue the public sees on a day-to-day basis. However, public’s initial
reaction to solve this problem is to build more shelters, while disregarding the issues that
occur within those shelters. Mismanagement, abuse, and violence have caused people to
choose fighting the elements over being in a shelter.36 Simply providing services like
shelter isn’t enough to reverse homelessness. Providing people with “somewhere they
can go to build relationships and live a pro-social lifestyle 37” is the direction we should be
turning the dialogue to address homelessness in the waterfront’s redesign.

Storage 
Case: The Bin, Los Angeles CA
The Bin is a free storage program run by a non-profit agency in Los Angeles,
California. A warehouse houses 1,462 60-gallon sanitized storage bins where people can
store their belongings for free38 . The storage bins are renewable on a weekly basis and is
a great way to store clean clothes and bedding or even important documents. Most
shelters only allow people to bring in what they can fit on their laps. People are not
allowed to bring carts, suitcases, or large bags. Homeless individuals tend to be too
afraid to leave their belongings outside overnight and risk losing everything. As a result
shelter beds go unused every night. This program now offers the homeless to store their
belongings in bins inside a locked warehouse. This keeps their belongings safe during the
day and overnight, keeping their bags off the streets. Providing free storage could be the
key to ending homelessness. People are unable to get a job because they cannot risk
leaving their belongings and losing them during the day. They have to cart around
everything they own at all times. This keeps them from using shelters, getting food, and
seeking employment. By providing storage, homeless individuals are able to be more
mobile, providing access to resources they would have otherwise not been able to use.

36
 ​
J. St. Louis, Street Outreach Manager for the Metropolitan Improvement District, personal communication, 25 November 2015. 
37
  J​
. St. Louis, Street Outreach Manager for the Metropolitan Improvement District, personal communication, 25 November 2015. 
38
 Tyler, Jeff, "Skid Row Storage Helps Put Order in Lives of Homeless." Marketplace. June 26, 2015. 
http://www.marketplace.org/2015/06/26/wealth­poverty/skid­row­storage­helps­put­order­lives­homeless.  

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Looking Forward to the Future of Seattle’s Homeless and
the Seattle Waterfront

Resource Connectivity
Making services more accessible through outreach, organization, and raising
awareness would help those who need it most get help, and also turn that help into
bettering lives. By expanding the Metropolitan Improvement District’s efforts and
working with the Pike Place Market Foundation to support resource connectivity,
homelessness would be better supported and better understood by the community. We
see a need for building relationships to promote dialogue, trust, and understanding that
will allow for more pro-social lifestyles.

Partnerships to Explore through Health, Employment, and Cultural

Sensitivity
The lack of accessibility to showers, restrooms, laundry, and even haircuts, is
prevalent in the downtown area. With Urban Rest Stop spread thin in Capitol Hill and
Ballard, and Compass Hygiene in Pioneer Square, there’s a gap in between, the
downtown core of Seattle lacks the services needed for a person to feel clean, dignified,
and able to go about their day. We see an opportunity to work with Pike Place Market
Foundation and the Urban Rest Stop to expand service through mobile practices like
Lava Mae. Through utilizing existing public spaces such as parking lots and spaces, the
waterfront could offer more for ​ everyone​in ways that reach beyond the physical
aesthetics to the social fabric of Seattle.
Employment is the key that determines people’s living conditions. Members of
homeless communities are often forced to leave their homes due to the lack of stable
incomes. A waterfront-based employment program could provide job trainings that focus
on highly demanded positions at the waterfront; meanwhile it offers jobs that can
immediately apply skills learned from the program. This program gives shelterless
people the opportunity to earn a living and potentially reduce the density of
homelessness downtown.

New Services: Storage & Mobile Services

Mobile services, have already been successfully practiced in other cities in providing
services for the homeless population. Due to the shortage of space and high property
values near Seattle’s waterfront, mobile services have great potential to accomplish what
cannot be done in permanent installations. Through effective coordination of scheduling,
attendants, and cleaning, public restrooms on wheels could basically replace the function
of concrete buildings.

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 Our research has found a distinct need for building relationships that not only
invokes pro-social lifestyles but also provides connectivity to resources and the
waterfront restoration project provides a unique opportunity to do just that. With the
renovations and the Alaskan viaduct coming down, the waterfront stands poised to
provide places that can connect and organize social services and institute a locus of
assistance in the process of creating a ‘civic park.’ We have found some of the most
innovative ideas were focused around mobile services due to their accessibility, their
ability to move from location to location and to provide a wider range of services. The
City and Friends of the Waterfront had expressed interest in these mobile services as well
as creating partnerships through organizations like the Urban Rest Stop and others. Only
in creating places of aid, can we stop the self-perpetuating cycle of homelessness and
improve the quality of life of many people for years to come.

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The Associated Press, “Mobile bathroom program deemed a success in one San Francisco homeless
community”, ​http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/04/portable_toilets_homeless_san.html

Bridgetown Inc. Night Strike Because People Matter. Online: http://bridgetowninc.org/night-strike/

,​
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http://pikeplacemarket.org/fresh-bucks-program-snap 

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