hkurowsk Department of Community and Human Services

DCHS Strengthens Oversight and Accountability with New Policies and Improvements 

By Dr. Susan McLaughlin, Acting Director of DCHS   Dr. Susan McLaughlin, DCHS Acting Director In 2020, the department’s priority was clear: Get resources to the community quickly and provide relief throughout the health emergency and into recovery. The Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) moved fast to deliver critical funding—from rental assistance to isolation and quarantine facilities—across the region when it mattered most. DCHS expanded partnerships with smaller, community-based organizations—trusted groups with deep roots … Continue reading DCHS Strengthens Oversight and Accountability with New Policies and Improvements 

DCHS Behavioral Health and Recovery, Crisis Care Centers, Department of Community and Human Services

Update on King County’s Response to the Opioid Overdose Crisis 

King County’s Five Priorities to Stop the Surge of Overdose Deaths were first announced in March 2024 as a coordinated cross-government response to slow the opioid overdose crisis.  Over the past two years, we’ve seen a promising overall decline in overdoses in King County; fatal overdoses decreased 32% from 2023 to 2025. Nonetheless, fatal overdoses in 2025 remain elevated compared to before 2022. Working in partnership, the Department of Community and Human … Continue reading Update on King County’s Response to the Opioid Overdose Crisis 

DCHS Behavioral Health and Recovery, Crisis Care Centers, Department of Community and Human Services

New RFP for a Logistics Coordinator to Create a Trusted Leaders Network for the Crisis Care Centers Initiative 

A new RFP is now open seeking a Logistics Coordinator to help launch King County’s Trusted Leaders Network, a key part of the Crisis Care Centers initiative’s commitment to community.  The Crisis Care Centers Levy is transforming how people access behavioral health crisis care and is centering equity all along the way. The Trusted Leaders Network—and the Logistics Coordinator who supports it—will bring community voices directly … Continue reading New RFP for a Logistics Coordinator to Create a Trusted Leaders Network for the Crisis Care Centers Initiative 

DCHS Behavioral Health and Recovery, Crisis Care Centers, Department of Community and Human Services

King County Increases Number of Residential Treatment Beds 

King County is expanding access to behavioral health care to support more people the moment they’re ready for mental health or substance use treatment. A new $20 million investment through the Crisis Care Centers initiative will go toward two community behavioral health providers—Aristo Healthcare Services in Renton and Seattle Indian Health Board on Vashon Island—to create 31 new residential treatment beds across both sites that provide equitable access to culturally-responsive treatment.   The Crisis Care Centers Levy aims to build out crisis services, including building back lost residential treat beds and ensure dedicated teams are in place, … Continue reading King County Increases Number of Residential Treatment Beds 

DCHS Behavioral Health and Recovery, Crisis Care Centers, Department of Community and Human Services

Announcing the Award for King County’s Crisis Training Academy 

King County is taking another important step toward strengthening our community behavioral health workforce and crisis response system.   The Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) awarded the Behavioral Health Institute at Harborview Medical Center (BHI) to lead the new Crisis Training Academy, funded through the local Crisis Care Centers Levy.  Crisis care and services require specialized skills in de-escalation, risk assessment, triage … Continue reading Announcing the Award for King County’s Crisis Training Academy 

eslharris Health Through Housing, Housing and Community Development

A Place to Call Home: Inside the Opening of the Booker House in Federal Way

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGIIV4Y_LX8 Video highlight from the Booker House grand opening, Health Through Housing's Federal Way location. Features remarks from Harold G. Booker II, son of Harold G. Booker, the building's namesake; King County Executive Girmay Zahilay, Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle (ULMS) President and CEO Michelle Merriweather, and City of Federal Way Council President Martin Moore. … Continue reading A Place to Call Home: Inside the Opening of the Booker House in Federal Way