Last week’s The Great Debate hosted by The Emperor’s Group and We Heart Seattle at the Washington Athletic Club was attended by hundreds of voters. And one thing was abundantly clear: Seattle’s approach to our behavioral health crisis needs immediate reinforcement. As someone working daily with the city’s most vulnerable residents, I believe we can chart a compassionate course that honors both human dignity and public safety.
The solution isn’t about choosing between “Harm Reduction” drug policies and accountability—it’s about creating a comprehensive system that meets people in crisis where they are and guides them toward recovery and independence.
At We Heart Seattle, our street team—composed entirely of people in recovery—connects two to three individuals to treatment every week. This peer-to-peer model works because it’s rooted in lived experience and genuine understanding. Our team members know the struggle intimately, and that authenticity breaks through barriers that traditional outreach cannot.
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell rightly emphasized the need for more intervention on the streets, funded through King County Health. I couldn’t agree more.
What we need is the formalization of the grassroots work already succeeding: a King County Behavioral Health Street Team modeled after successful programs like EMOTE (Emergency Mobile Opioid Treatment Everett), where people in recovery help others find their path forward.
Designated Crisis Responders, funded by the county, are uniquely positioned to assess individuals in crisis and, when necessary, petition for civil commitment under Ricky’s Law. This isn’t about punishment—it’s about providing a lifeline to those too deep in the grip of addiction to ask for help themselves. Civil commitment has proven effective in breaking the cycle that keeps people trapped in addiction, homelessness, and despair.
San Francisco has shown what’s possible when a city commits to disrupting the cycle of addiction. The recent passage of Proposition F requires a clean narcotic drug test and treatment for individuals receiving assistance, recognizing that true compassion means helping people get well, not simply managing their illness on the streets. Their approach to harm reduction now emphasizes proactive counseling and treatment connections, acknowledging that handing someone supplies without offering a pathway to recovery is not enough. San Francisco has made it illegal to pass out drug smoking tools in public spaces.
Since 2020, King County has lost 5,000 people to overdose deaths. Each number represents a life, a family, a community member we failed to reach in time. We cannot continue policies that leave people where they are when “where they are” means dying on our streets.
The addicts-helping-addicts model recognizes a profound truth: Recovery is possible, and those who have walked the path can light the way for others. Our team works informally alongside Seattle Police and concerned everyday citizens to triage individuals toward detox rather than jail—a partnership that’s already saving lives. Now we need the political will to expand and formalize this approach to new models focusing on intervention and assertive case management.
This isn’t about being tough or soft on crime. It’s about being effective at saving lives. It’s about recognizing that true compassion requires both immediate harm reduction and a clear pathway to recovery. It’s about building a system where street outreach teams can offer hope, treatment can be accessed immediately, and civil commitment exists as a tool of last resort for those in the deepest crisis.
Seattle has the resources, the expertise, and the heart to solve this crisis. What we need now is the courage to implement solutions that work—even when they challenge our assumptions about what compassion looks like.
Our neighbors are dying. We have the tools to save them. It’s time to act.
Andrea Suarez is the founder of We Heart Seattle, a grassroots organization focused on compassionate outreach and recovery-oriented services for individuals experiencing homelessness and addiction.
