The mayor’s proposed 0.1 percentage‑point public‑safety sales tax increment, and related mayoral spending plan, would support several human‑service investments described at the Sept. 29 Select Budget Committee hearing.

Human Services Director Tanya Kim detailed items that HSD would manage or administer if the council approves the revenue: ongoing funds for LEAD diversion programs, $1 million ongoing for the We Deliver Care street outreach effort to continue work in Third Avenue and the Chinatown‑International District, and funding for outreach linked to the new ORCA Center.

HSD said it expects to allocate about $1.24 million ongoing to DESC’s ORCA Center outreach team (the “ORCA pod”) to send registered nurses into shelter and housing sites to provide engagement and medications for opioid use disorder. HSD also proposed $1.8 million in one‑time capital to reopen Seattle Indian Health Board’s Thunderbird residential treatment center, a 92‑bed facility with specialty capacity for pregnant and parenting adults and tribal healing practices.

Kim noted that HSD will issue requests for proposals for several substance‑use and withdrawal‑management services and that the ORCA outreach effort includes a research component with the University of Washington’s addiction institute to track impact.

Council members praised the treatment investments and asked about contracting, performance metrics and how HSD will coordinate with Care, the police and fire‑based HealthOne/Health99 teams. Kim emphasized cross‑agency integration and the need for a data‑driven approach and said many of the ORCA and Thunderbird investments will include built‑in evaluation requirements.