Trauma-informed and culturally responsive de-escalation, referrals to care, and systems coordination in public health and safety “hotspots.”
The Challenge
There is longstanding tension between the behaviors of community members who are stuck in survival mode and the needs of others who live and work on “The Blade,” the epicenter of public health and safety issues in downtown Seattle. Street conditions on The Blade have seen a decades-long decline rooted in a complex mix of deepening income inequality, an underfunded behavioral health system, and challenging social dynamics.
In summer 2022, downtown retail businesses made a collective plea for help: despite traditional law enforcement strategies, public health and safety issues had escalated to an intolerable point and were jeopardizing their ability to retain staff, protect customers, and keep the lights on. In the wake of pandemic-related economic losses and the emergence of fentanyl, similar public health and safety hotspots have emerged in areas like Little Sài Gòn in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District.
Our Solution
Business, government, and neighborhood leaders coalesced around the concept of TAP (initially called the Third Avenue Project): a hyperlocal response that would embed community-based safety ambassadors into the existing LEAD systems coordination framework. Culturally responsive and trauma-informed safety ambassadors from We Deliver Care (WDC) would provide an around-the-clock presence on The Blade, de-escalating tensions on the street and connecting people to longer term care, while the LEAD project managers would ensure systems-level collaboration with the business community, first responders, and elected officials.
PDA’s LEAD Seattle-King County project management team provides backbone coordination for TAP, driving by information sharing and problem solving among partners from public, private, and civic sectors.
WDC’s safety ambassadors complement traditional law enforcement strategies by providing a sustained, calming, and trauma-informed presence on the street. WDC uses a credible messenger framework by hiring individuals with lived experience of poverty, criminalization, and the War on Drugs who use their distinct viewpoint and skillset to aid others in breaking cycles rooted in drug use and extreme poverty.
“…it is a tremendous relief for me and my staff to have someone else to call in for help.”
Local Business Owner
Operating on The Blade and in Chinatown-International District, TAP leverages safety ambassadors who respond in real-time to:
- Engage vulnerable community members encountered by local businesses or on the street
- Make referrals to agencies providing shelter, hygiene facilities, behavioral health care, and lawful employment
- Administer naloxone to reverse overdoses
- De-escalate conflict and disperse groups
