Ernestine Anderson Place was developed to help house homeless seniors in Seattle. The community includes services to help successfully house seniors who have been identified as frequent users of emergency rooms, detox programs and jail. Services are provided by Sound Mental Health, a community social services agency.
As part of the goal to house the most vulnerable homeless population, the community is breaking down the barriers to entry by not requiring residents to go through a screening process or meet with a social worker to qualify to live in Ernestine Anderson Place.
Eight of the units are reserved for homeless veterans. The units are supported with rental assistance and services from the VA through the Department of Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program.
The developer of the project, the Low Income Housing Institute, worked with officials from the city and King County to identify the most at-risk individuals.