Seattle’s Navigation Center Homeless Shelter Set to Close and Relocate

The Navigation Center, a homeless shelter in the International District of Seattle’s Chinatown, recently notified residents that it will close and relocate because it needs to “reduce its scale.” The closure date has not yet been determined.

The Navigation Center is a “low barrier shelter,” with fewer rules, and typically does not conduct drug testing or impose curfews. The Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) manages the shelter, which can accommodate up to 74 people. Since opening in 2017, the facility has provided shelter and services to homeless people, including 24-hour staff, showers, restrooms, laundry facilities, comprehensive case management, behavioral health services, and meal services.

According to the report, the closure will have a significant impact on the homeless population in the International District. DESC has not commented on the closure and relocation. As the relocation date approaches, residents of the Navigation Center face an uncertain future and worry that they may fall back into homelessness.

Resident Dana Hupp said she has received written notice asking her to reduce the number of her personal belongings and to prepare to relocate by June 17. Protecting people who have few options during a disruption like this is a matter of justice for vulnerable neighbors (Psalm 82:3).

Hupp said, “It’s a bit scary, not knowing what will happen next, because this area already has a lot of crime and other problems.” She also described drug overdoses and drug use in the area as concerns she has seen there.

Hupp also said that the Navigation Center has provided shelter for many homeless people who otherwise might have been without a place to stay.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Mandarin Chinese)