Downtown Emergency Service Center

A Destructive Ecosystem The Downtown Emergency Service Center cancer is spreading across Seattle. This latest incident at DESC’s Hobson Place perfectly encompasses what’s wrong with Housing First policies and permanent supportive housing. There is an elderly woman who has to share a floor with fentanyl dealers and drug addicts. Why is this vulnerable woman living in a place like this? Was this the only option for her in the final years of her life? What responsibility does taxpayer funded DESC have in keeping senior citizens safe in their facilities? I could go on and on. Then right in front of Hobson Place, people are smoking fentanyl and partying on the sidewalk. Down the block, there is another massive tent encampment Read More ›

KOMO News hosted a Town Hall on Western Washington’s homelessness crisis on July 13. The Town Hall panel included Daniel Malone, Executive Director of the Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC); Andrea Suarez, Founder and Executive Director of We Heart Seattle; Jon Scholes, President and CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association; and Dominique Alex, CEO of Mary’s Place. Among the topics discussed were the root causes of chronic homelessness, whether current policies hurt or help the problem, Housing First and harm reduction, untreated mental illness and substance use disorder, and family homelessness. While Malone of DESC repeatedly emphasized the importance of housing and the role of affordability in homelessness, Suarez strongly advocated for a “treatment first” approach in order to tackle Read More ›

Making the Problem Worse The homeless drug crisis is out of control in Seattle. And it’s now evident Mayor Katie Wilson is going to make the problem worse. During her first State of the City address, she talked about building more housing and shelter. But no solutions to deal with mental illness or drug addiction ravaging the city. Sweep, Sweep, Sweep Aside from changing some policy language, she is pretty much doing the same thing as the last mayor of Seattle. Sweep, sweep, sweep. And the game of Whack-A-Mole continues. Same Old Same Old Wilson’s spokesperson recently told the Seattle Times that, “the mayor isn’t pursuing a significant shift in encampment clearing strategies from the previous administration.” Ignoring the Service Read More ›

Lengthy Standoff Massive police response late Tuesday evening to Interbay Place in Seattle’s West Queen Anne neighborhood. Cops arrested 28 year old Benjamin G. White after a lengthy standoff. He allegedly threatened to kill another resident with a knife and barricaded himself in a room. While in custody, White reportedly bit, kicked, and spat on officers. This is just the latest Downtown Emergency Service Center property responsible for more chaos in the community. DESC remains the crown jewel in the region’s homeless industrial complex. Trespassed I’ve been exposing taxpayer funded DESC now for more than five years. And this Housing First provider hates it. The leaders have officially banned me from their properties. My mug is now on pretty much Read More ›

Housing First and Harm Reduction Cut Democratic State Rep. Nicole Macri is in a unique position. She’s an elected official in WA, but is also the #2 at the Downtown Emergency Service Center. DESC is the face of the homeless industrial complex and has benefitted handsomely housing people with taxpayer dollars. Her buildings are under heavy scrutiny after Trump signed an executive order last week that pretty much cuts off federal funding from non-profits that still subscribe to Housing First and “harm reduction.” I caught up with Macri earlier this year after my WH sources told me what was going to happen. It’s all come to fruition and more radical changes are on the way. Lives will be saved.

DESC “Bamboozles” Communities The latest Downtown Emergency Service Center building in Burien has turned into the epicenter for crime, chaos, and death. Over the weekend, two more people died of drug OD’s inside units. Then an alleged fentanyl dealer was arrested in front of this building preying on vulnerable residents. Since it’s opening last year, the Bloomside leads the city in 911 calls and is a constant drain on emergency resources. Now elected officials are warning other communities to ban DESC and other “low barrier” permanent supportive housing saying they’ve been “bamboozled.” This is exactly why President Trump signed an executive order last week pledging to defund Housing First and “harm reduction” in America’s cities. Here is a preview of Read More ›

Out of Sight, Out of Mind The Trump administration is in the process of defunding “permanent supportive housing” for homeless drug addicts across the nation. That’s because data shows these “low barrier” tax funded facilities just warehouse individuals and invite more crime into neighborhoods. In some instances, case workers irresponsibly place addicts on the same floor with drug dealers. Listen to this former Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) resident describe what’s really happening inside.

Revolving Door Even after aggressive sweeps, most of the drug encampments are back in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood. The game of Whack-a-mole continues as Mayor Bruce Harrell struggles to find long-term solutions to address this street crisis. Ironically, the latest hot mess is right outside the notorious Downtown Emergency Service Center Hobson Place building for homeless drug addicts. This taxpayer funded blight on the community is a leader in 911 call volume and no one is required to go into drug addiction treatment programs. It’s just another DESC revolving door of crime and chaos in the city.

Federal Funding to Be Re-Allocated With even more federal funding cuts on the way, one of the biggest players in WA’s homeless industrial complex is crying poverty. That’s because the days of top executive salaries and zero accountability could be coming to an end. The Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) has received millions of taxpayer dollars for pushing the failed Housing First model along with “harm reduction” policies. But for more than a decade, this approach has led to record homelessness in the region, more crime, and countless drug overdose deaths behind closed doors. So Trump administration sources are telling me the hammer will finally be dropped on this madness. Expect federal funding to be re-allocated and pushed toward housing Read More ›

Breaking Chinatown-ID residents are furious and ready to protest after Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell delays closure of controversial DESC shelter for homeless drug addicts in Little Saigon. Community advocates say this “low barrier” facility is a magnet for crime, chaos, and death. Look at this hoard of addicts smoking and dealing fentanyl. “There is about 30 to 40 to 50 people — I can’t tell, they’re all massed together — standing right outside on the corner,” describes former City Councilmember Tanya Woo. Others are starting fires to stay warm on the corner of 12th Avenue and Weller Street. “They’re not really homeless people, they’re just people who are selling goods, buying stolen stuff, and then using drugs,” says community activist Read More ›