SEATTLE — Residents of a homeless shelter in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District are being asked to “downsize” as the facility prepares to move.
The Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) said Tuesday that the Navigation Center's lease expires at the end of January 2025. The agency said it is working with city partners on a final plan for when the lease ends. There isn't a relocation place or timeline yet.
The facility is a “low barrier” shelter, meaning minimal rules that often include no drug testing or curfews. The facility opened in 2017 and is managed by DESC.
DESC said it was known from the start that the building wasn't a permanent location but could be used as a shelter for a while.
According to the DESC's website, the center helps "high-needs adults experiencing homelessness who are living in encampments, and who have acute behavioral health issues that may prevent them from staying in regular congregate shelters."
The dormitory-style facility has 24/7 staffing no curfew and provides shower, bathroom and laundry facilities, as well as comprehensive case management, behavioral health services and meal services. The Navigation Center can accommodate up to 74 guests at a time.
“It’s a little scary," said Dana Hupp, a resident of the shelter. "Not knowing exactly what’s next because this area, as you can tell, has a lot of crime and stuff in this area as it is."
Hupp said she received a notice in writing asking her to reduce her number of personal items as the facility will begin the “downsizing process” next month. DESC said it posted a flyer asking residents to begin downsizing belongings that would require storage in a new space, as the basement storage is full. The agency said this would make relocation less difficult.
“We all got notifications saying that we’re going to have to be ready to be moving before the 17th,” Hupp said.
The facility serves many people that Hupp figures would be homeless otherwise.
“People overdose, there’s drug addicts out here," Hupp said. "A lot of just craziness out here because people are off the hook they have nothing to do."