Indigenous Model of Traditional Wellness for Homeless American Indians/Alaska Natives in Seattle/King County

Grantee: Chief Seattle Club
Timeframe: July 2024 – June 2025 | Amount: $200,000

Chief Seattle Club (CSC) is implementing an Indigenous Model of Traditional Wellness for Homeless American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/AN) in Seattle/King County. Historically, Native American communities have endured systemic oppression, resulting in profound social and mental health challenges. This has led to disproportionately high rates of substance abuse and mental health disorders among Native Americans, despite comprising a small percentage of the overall population. In King County, AI/ANs represent 32% of the chronically homeless and 15% of the homeless population. CSC addresses this pressing need for culturally attuned services and housing for Native populations experiencing homelessness and mental health issues.

In 2023, CSC made a pivotal shift in its behavioral health approach to prioritize traditional Indigenous healing methods over Eurocentric models. This led to the creation of a Traditional Wellness team, including Traditional Mental Health Workers (TMHWs), a Staff Wellness Manager, and an Art Coordinator. The team’s goal is to promote cultural healing, enhance member engagement, and deliver services tailored to the Native community. Program activities include one-on-one, Talking Circles, sweat lodges, drum groups, Red Road to Wellbriety groups, memorials, smudging, hospital visits, and other traditional healing practices.

The Traditional Wellness team, led by a Chief Traditional Officer (CTO), has full-time TMHWs at various Club sites. These workers, possessing backgrounds in traditional medicine and cultural practices, establish meaningful connections with members through cultural activities such as talking circles and drum groups. Leveraging their lived experiences of generational trauma, TMHWs engage with members proactively, eschewing scheduled appointments for more spontaneous interactions. This approach has substantially increased member engagement, with encounters rising by 288% since the shift.

CSC is also integrating clinical behavioral health approaches. In collaboration with Evergreen Treatment Services, CSC is hiring a Substance Use Disorder Professional for a mobile medical unit in Pioneer Square. Additionally, CSC is hiring a Behavioral Health Programming Coordinator (BHPC) to provide one-on-one sessions and develop a new mental health model at a CSC Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) site.

A key component of this project is the launch of Ceremonial Land. CSC is establishing dedicated ceremonial land in Tukwila, Washington, where it is anticipated that 308 members will engage with their culture through traditional ceremonies, food and medicine, knowledge sharing, songs, and harvesting.

Previously, CSC constructed sweat lodges on three different properties not owned by the Club, relying on landlords and facing challenges with space access. In May 2023, CSC acquired its own ceremonial land along the Duwamish River in Tukwila. This half-acre property features 82 feet of shoreline and will host the Club’s ceremonial activities, including two sweat lodges (one for men and one for women), a Learning Lodge, a fire pit, and a traditional medicine garden. Renovations and preparation of the land, including constructing sweat lodges and gardens, began after the previous tenant vacated in Q4 2023.

Owning dedicated ceremonial space will improve access for CSC’s 3,000+ members and enable more consistent offerings. For example, monthly sweat lodges can be provided to residents of each building and shelter, a service currently underutilized. Consistency in offering these services is crucial for building trust among members, and regularly scheduled sweats will help establish and maintain engagement.

ABOUT OUR GRANTEE

Chief Seattle Club

“Chief Seattle Club is a 501(c)(3) registered organization dedicated to physically and spiritually supporting American Indian and Alaska Native people. At our Day Center in the Pioneer Square district of downtown Seattle, we provide food, primary health care, housing assistance, legal services, a Native art job training program, and opportunities for members to engage in cultural community-building.

We are a housing and human service agency that provides basic needs for our members, many of whom are experiencing homelessness. Native people in urban areas face unique challenges, and Chief Seattle Club embraces the Indigenous cultures, languages, and traditions of our members as the primary method for healing and transformation.

We provide sacred space to nurture, affirm, and strengthen the spirit of urban Native people.”