Connections will find a much different environment around Broadway and Union than its first county crisis center facility in Kirkland (Image: Connections Health Services)
The rapidly growing national provider of behavioral health services already running the county’s first facility in Kirkland has been selected to operate the coming Crisis Care Center at Broadway and Union as it is lined up for a 2027 opening.
The King County Department of Community and Human Services announced Thursday that Connections Health Solutions has been selected to run the facility set to take shape in the former Polyclinic medical building on the edge of the First Hill and Capitol Hill neighborhoods.
“Connections Health Solutions is a national leader in providing crisis care and was selected following a competitive Request for Proposal process,” the county said in its announcement. “The organization has a strong track record of delivering accessible, high-quality specialized care for people of all ages throughout the country.”
The county says the selection will be part of a careful approach to developing the new center while also addressing public safety concerns around the facility as it offers emergency and walk-in mental health services.
“Partnering with Connections Health Solutions will allow us to meet the urgency of this moment and ensure the next Crisis Care Center is opened and operated successfully to support and strengthen the immediate surrounding neighborhood and our whole community,” DCHS director Kelly Rider said in the announcement.
CHS reported in October on the approval of the $56 million plan to acquire the property, overhaul the building, and hire an operator for what is planned to be the second in a network of five county facilities providing 24-7 walk-in and emergency care mental health clinics funded by a 2023 voter-approved levy.
The Crisis Centers are being designed to provide 24/7 walk-in care, 23-Hour Observation Units for patients brought in by police “to receive immediate care to stabilize and stay for up to 23 hours,” and “crisis stabilization beds” where individuals can stay for up to 14 days “to receive focused behavioral health treatment.”
The county says it is responding to concerns about public safety raised by nearby residents, building owners, and businesses and partnering with Connections, Seattle city officials and the Seattle Police Department.
Officials have promised a “Good Neighbor Policy,” Seattle Police “Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design” recommendations, and ongoing community meetings to help shape the project along with the formation of a new citizen advisory committee to oversee the center.
In the announcement, the county said Connections Health Solutions and King County are partnering with the City of Seattle on “design improvements for the future center.” Renovations are planned to begin in 2026 with the center planned to open by the end of 2027:
The state-of-the-art design prototype for these new facilities is a shift from traditional emergency room-based interventions. Crisis Care Centers incorporate therapeutic design, colors, and safety standards. The goal is to create a welcoming place that people—often in their most challenging moments—feel comfortable going to for mental health and substance use care. Listening to input from people with lived experience in receiving crisis care will be part of the design process.
The Seattle Police Department will also oversee a Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) safety assessment. The resulting recommendations will be implemented and may include better lighting, clear sightlines, and security features to help ensure the building and surrounding area are safe, secure, and welcoming for guests and the community.
The county says Connections Health Solutions is now on point to develop a Good Neighbor Agreement that “includes outreach and engagement with the neighboring community members.”
The county says Connections is also responsible for convening the community advisory board.
More community meetings with the Capitol Hill Community Council, First Hill Improvement Association are also being planned.
District 3 representative Joy Hollingsworth has called on the county to triple its planned budget for street and safety clean-up near the planned facility to $3 million.
A recent city sweep of homeless encampments from a 15-block area around Broadway and Union was not related to the plans for the crisis facility, a representative for Mayor Bruce Harrell told CHS.
From the real estate listing for the property
During the campaign, Mayor-elect Katie Wilson said said she had met with community members in the area to understand issues around the center proposal and said Harrell and the city’s plan for public safety environmental design was not enough, saying that the mayor’s office must make sure SPD is a “productive partner” and active in the area even after the center opens. She also said she would champion services that will help people after their time at the center.
At this week’s Capitol Hill community public safety forum, Lisa Daugaard, the legal defense and civil rights expert from the Purpose. Dignity. Action. organization called for a dedicated “24/7 safety team” to handle social and behavioral issues around the facility to be added to the public safety resources being planned around the coming facility. She said the center’s plan also needs more resources and funding dedicated to “post-release shelter.”
The county, meanwhile, faces growing challenges around assuaging community fears as its initiatives to help address crisis and homelessness issues diversity in the region including new supportive housing projects like Capitol Hill’s Sharyn Grayson House. How its contract partners perform will be key.
Connections Health Solutions was selected earlier this year to operate the county’s first Crisis Care Center by transitioning its existing facility. Located in a Kirkland business park, the environment around that center is quite different from what Connections will find at Broadway and Union. The county says first responders have “praised the center’s operations and efficient drop-off that frees them up for public safety and other emergency response.”
Under that deal, Connections was funded to purchase the $39 million Kirkland facility and operate the 24/7 mental health care center.
The Broadway center’s budget includes $15 million for the costs of upgrading the facility and funding the contract operator.
Connections is growing its sites across the country with new contracts in Thurston County — and Pennsylvania.
As part of the announcement, the county says Connections workers at the Broadway center will be eligible for the SEIU Healthcare Training Fund’s BEAM program which offers reimbursements for trainings, certifications, and tuition to help workers advance their careers, and also, the county says, “supports competitive wages, benefits, worker wellbeing, and paid apprenticeships.”
In the county’s announcement, King County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda praised the training.
“I look forward to people from the community going through workforce development programs funded by the Crisis Care Center levy such as the behavioral health apprenticeship program led by SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, and working in this facility to be part of the solution providing care to their friends and neighbors during their time of need,” Mosqueda said. “The selection of a provider for the new Crisis Care Center on Broadway means we are one step closer to opening another robust behavioral health clinic to get people into the care and recovery needed, instead of directing those in crisis to emergency rooms or jail cells.”
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