Seattle officials work with Sacramento-based group to combat homeless crisis



SEATTLE -- Seattle city officials on Thursday discussed focusing on the health and health care of the homeless as a means to help combat the crisis.

Officials from the Sacramento-based group Transform Health, Seattle City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, and about a dozen community members packed into the City Council chambers.

Mosqeuda and Transform Health CEO Lisa Chainsawin discussed how important focusing on health is when it comes to fighting the homeless crisis.

“In order for folks to remain housed, they need health care services, and in order to prevent people from falling into homelessness, they need health care services. It’s not rocket science, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel,” said Mosqueda.

Transform Health presented information on how they’re working to provide “whole-person care.” That involves things like: developing rapport and trusting relationships, teamwork across different organizations, providing health options, and connecting those in need to community resources.

“Different individuals need different interventions,” said Chainsawin.

Mosqueda says incorporating a focus on health care and housing is something she’d like to see the city work toward.

This year, King County recorded about 12,000 people as homeless. Officials say about three-quarters of those people live in Seattle,

Reports say a budget of about $410 million would be needed to address the entire homeless crisis in King County.