King County is opening a shelter in the west wing of the county jail

King County is opening a homeless shelter in the west wing of the county jail in downtown Seattle.

Formerly a work-release space, the wing most recently housed offices for staff training, and equipment and records storage, according to county officials.

It opens Sunday as a 24-hour shelter with wrap around services for 40 men.

King County executive Dow Constantine said he recognizes that the empty wing of a jail is an unconventional place to open a shelter. But he said there’s a clear need.

Homelessness remains at crisis levels in the county. Results from the 2018 annual one night count showed more than 12,000 people are in shelters and on the streets on any given night.

"Here's an empty building in the middle of downtown Seattle. How do you turn away from that as an opportunity?” Constantine said

“We're taking a building that was designed for incarceration and turning it into a space for redemption," he said.

The site was chosen after Constantine asked his departments to look at any county properties that might be used to help tackle homelessness.

Several other projects are also underway on vacant or underutilized county properties.

Before starting the $2 million renovation process of the west wing, Constantine said they talked to advocates and people who are formerly homelessness to get input on how to make the space welcoming, and what services to provide.

As a result, bars were taken off windows in rooms that now house rows of bunk beds. Some cameras were removed. Instead of a uniform grey, some of the walls are now adorned with brightly colored paint. There’s also staffing 24 hours a day to help provide support.

The West Wing shelter is what’s known as an enhanced shelter. People don’t have to line up to get in and then leave early the next morning. It offers storage for people’s belongings, showers, meals and laundry facilities.

Men who will stay at the shelter will be there voluntarily and can come and go 24 hours a day, officials said. They’ll also have access to services like case management, housing and employment help, and behavioral health treatment on site.

The site will serve clients with more significant challenges – people who have been on the streets for a long time, and those with behavioral health or addiction issues. That could include people coming out of the actual jail, officials said.

The Downtown Emergency Services Center (DESC) will provide services. They’ll reach out to people individually to refer them to the shelter.

There are some restrictions. For now, the shelter is only taking men due to space restrictions. Pets are also not allowed.

DESC executive director Daniel Malone said people won’t be prohibited from coming to the shelter under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

“That’s what we need to do in order to have a space that will be usable by people who have more significant problems in their day to day lives,” he said.

But substance use is not allowed inside the facility, Malone said.

Shelters like the one opening in the west wing of the county jail are more attractive options for people currently living on the streets. And data from the City of Seattle indicates they get people into housing at a rate five times that of basic shelters.

But Constantine said tackling homelessness needs to be about more than just shelter.

He said it’s also important to tackle the root causes and make sure people are not exiting systems – like the criminal justice system, foster care, and the behavioral health system – onto the streets.

“Shelter is, on one level, an admission of failure. We want to prevent homelessness, we want to get people exited out of homelessness,” he said.