Telling the Stories of Equity and Anti-Racism in Healthcare
Seattle Children's
Read More about Telling the Stories of Equity and Anti-Racism in Healthcare
Addressing the challenges at the root of homelessness and addiction
Overview
People across the country are dying of opioid overdoses in record numbers. At the same time, homelessness rates are skyrocketing. These related challenges are largely the result of fundamental flaws in our mental and behavioral health and criminal justice systems. But, because of deeply seated and prejudiced beliefs about the type of person who becomes homeless or struggles with addiction, communities often criminalize these conditions. Instead of prison and penalties, we need more services that allow people to gain stability and rebuild their lives.
Challenge
Evergreen Treatment Services (ETS) has provided transformative treatment and case management services for people who experience homelessness, struggle with addiction, or both for more than 45 years in western Washington. Between 2014 and 2019, ETS more than doubled their capacity, and today, they treat and serve 5,400 people. Despite ETS’ demonstrated success in helping people overcome life-threatening challenges and an increased awareness of addiction as a chronic medical condition, many people continue to buy into tired, false narratives that addiction and homelessness are lifestyle choices.
Work
Minerva Strategies began our partnership with Evergreen Treatment Services at the beginning of ETS’ growth in January of 2014. Our aim was to help reframe the public narrative around homelessness and substance use. Minerva developed a communications infrastructure for ETS, including internal processes and a suite of materials to educate people about the causes and solutions for substance use and homelessness and to highlight the real stories of people who face these challenges daily. We led the development of two new websites for its clinic services and homeless outreach program and created a variety of print materials for public events, video profiles of clients, and a blog for sharing their work.
In addition, we have strengthened the capacity of the ETS team to speak at public panels and conferences through trainings and development of presentations. We have built relationships with journalists to ensure the media sees ETS as an expert resource on Washington’s homelessness and substance use crises. This relationship-building has resulted in several thoughtful pieces on ETS over the years, including several segments on KUOW (local NPR affiliate), interviews on King5 (local NBC affiliate), opinion pieces in The Seattle Times, and a voice on panels at media-led public talks.
Result
Evergreen Treatment Services faces a significant uphill battle in the years to come. Support for the most effective solutions for substance use and homelessness—including medication-assisted treatment and permanent supportive housing—is severely lacking, and criminalization is still the preferred public response. But with Minerva’s support, Evergreen Treatment Services is armed with the tools they need to garner political and financial backing to continue their life-saving work and advocate for more compassionate policies in Washington state.
Minerva Strategies is a joy to work with. Their smart planning and effective execution have brought us into the 21st century, helping us develop a platform that resonates and informs.
Tavia Rhodes
Director of Development, Evergreen Treatment Services