Purpose Dignity Action - PDA

08/26/2025

We really hope to see you this Thursday in downtown Seattle for International Overdose Awareness Day, hosted by VOCAL - Washington!

09/25/2024

Update! Do an an unexpected conflict, we need to reschedule our planned Fourth Friday CoLEAD webinar, moving it from this Friday to October 25. We hope we will see you then!

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: PDA Fourth Fridays Webinar Series: CoLEAD. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.

09/24/2024

"There’s no denying that Seattle’s public spaces require action, but if we’re going back to the well, we should go to one with water. Not only do we have a rich history of having successfully revitalized public spaces, but we’ve done so without exclusion. History tells us that we’ve figured out more than we realize. Seattle should take a closer look."

# Activating public spaces is a worthy goal, but it takes welcoming people in with placemaking and guardianship, not banishing those deemed undesirable.

09/19/2024

Don't forget to join us on September 27th to learn more about CoLEAD, an innovative public health and safety program. This will be our the first of our new "Fourth Friday" webinar series and we can't wait to share about our work! Register now:

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: PDA Fourth Fridays Webinar Series: CoLEAD. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.

09/17/2024

Join us on September 27th to learn more about how CoLEAD changes neighborhoods and lives! CoLEAD provides non-congregate temporary lodging, intensive case management, and legal system coordination to help people with substance use disorder and unmet behavioral health needs stabilize and transition from life on the street to permanent supportive housing. Learn more at our Fourth Friday Webinar (via Zoom) September 27th from 12:00pm - 1:00pm. Register now!

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: PDA Fourth Fridays Webinar Series: CoLEAD. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.

08/30/2024

Change doesn't happen overnight and it rarely happens alone -- that is why LEAD works with partners across disciplines and is in it for the long haul with participants.

Law Enforcement Assisted DiversionA community minded harm reduction approach pairing people in need with case managers to provide long term support. Operatin...

08/21/2024

PDA co-ED Lisa Daugaard and UW researcher Katherine Beckett explore why banishment zones, while tempting, are unproductive. But the answer it is not do nothing: it is do more of what we know works. They explain:

"The recent successful activation of Westlake Park, Occidental Park, Pioneer Park and City Hall Park involved multidepartment coordination and public-private partnerships and have, by all accounts, successfully mitigated the sort of conditions SODA and SOAP orders are intended to tackle. No one has been banned and no one is being arrested simply for being there. Enforcement plays a role but is focused on specific behaviors. Landscape improvements, a “guardian” role (played by Downtown Seattle Association employees, park rangers and other partners) and amenities drawing a diverse population into the area create an appealing atmosphere and a feeling of safety. To the credit of all involved, these spaces have become welcoming to all, while also remaining open to all."

We've found that banishment does nothing to resolve the underlying conditions that generate visible homelessness and addiction.

07/08/2024

The heatwave is expected to last today and tomorrow. There are more than a dozen cooling centers in Seattle and others located in King County. Many - but not all - libraries also have air conditioning.

Find more info here from our King County Regional Homelessness Authority partners:

Find overnight and daytime shelter information for severe weather events for Seattle and King County from the Regional Homelessness Authority.

06/21/2024

Homelessness is hard on the body. Our own statistics show that the average age of death of a person experiencing homelessness is just over 51 years.

For people who use drugs, are criminal legal system involved, and living with behavioral health challenges, housing is necessary but it is not sufficient. In order to stay housed, people need (1) housing that fits their particular circumstances; and (2) support to keep that housing and continue the process of stabilization.

Through CoLEAD, people are moved from the street to temporary lodging, where stabilization can start. People receive a wide range of care coordination, including health care, legal system, and basic needs. Case managers work with clients on identifying and achieving goals. And a housing specialist works to get folks moved from temporary lodging to permanent housing that is the right fit for the client.

But the program does not stop there – CoLEAD provides AfterCare for a year to help people transition from temporary lodging to permanent housing, providing assistance with independent living skills, landlord/tenant relationships, and anything else that comes.

(Image from Board of Health Homelessness and Health Workgroup)