Officials plan ‘open house’ as Broadway Crisis Care Center readied for 2027 opening

A half year after selecting an operator for the coming Crisis Care Center at Broadway and Union, officials are ramping up the community outreach process as the facility makes plans for a late 2027 opening.

An “Open House and Resource Fair” will be held at the Broadway building set to house the facility on July 21st.

“We look forward to welcoming community into the building that will soon provide a place anyone can go to get urgent mental health or substance use care,” a King County Department of Community and Human Services representative says about the outreach event. “In addition to providing an update and overview of the Crisis Care Center, DCHS and community providers will have information about 24/7 crisis services available today for everyone in King County.”

The open house will renew attention around the project that has proceeded without further public discussion since the King County Council voted to move ahead with the plan last year and a provider was selected to run the planned facility.

In November, CHS reported on the selection of Connections Health Solutions to operate the center designed to provide 24/7 walk-in care, 23-Hour Observation Units for patients brought in by police “to receive immediate care to stabilize and stay for up to 23 hours,” and “crisis stabilization beds” where individuals can stay for up to 14 days “to receive focused behavioral health treatment.”

Connections already operates the county’s first center located in a Kirkland business park. The county selected regional nonprofit MultiCare Behavioral Health to operate a planned South King County center.

The center serving the Seattle area planned for Broadway and Union has faced pushback from neighborhood business and property owners.

CHS reported in October on the approval of the $56 million plan to acquire the former Polyclinic property, overhaul the building, and hire an operator for what is planned to be the second in a network of five county facilities providing 24-7 walk-in and emergency care mental health clinics funded by a 2023 voter-approved levy.

The county says it is responding to concerns about public safety raised by nearby residents, building owners, and businesses and partnering with Connections, Seattle city officials and the Seattle Police Department.

Officials have promised a “Good Neighbor Policy,” Seattle Police “Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design” recommendations, and ongoing community meetings to help shape the project along with the formation of a new citizen advisory committee to oversee the center.

The planned center stands at the corner of Broadway and Union between Capitol Hill and First Hill and on the edge of the Pike/Pine nightlife and entertainment district. Across the street are businesses of the Harvard Market shopping center. The Capitol Hill Stoup Brewing beer hall is across Broadway.

King County officials say they purchased the 115,000-square-foot former Polyclinic building at 1145 Broadway because its existing medical infrastructure and healthcare zoning reduce renovation timelines. Although the facility is larger than the crisis center’s immediate needs, owning this centrally located property near transit corridors and hospital emergency departments is hoped to allow the county to offset the $41.5 million purchase price through revenue-generating partnerships.

To fill the excess space, the county plans to construct a 16-bed mental health residential treatment facility to expand regional capacity, lease out the remaining clinical offices and parking spaces to nearby medical providers, — and explore developing the property’s empty and garbage-strewn southern parcel to grant patients valuable outdoor access.

The county’s leadership has transitioned as the crisis center plans move forward. Susan McLaughlin is now the permanent director of the Department of Community and Human Services after stepping into the role in December.

During her campaign, Mayor Katie Wilson said she had met with community members in the area to understand issues around the center proposal and the city’s plan for public safety environmental design was not enough, adding that the mayor’s office must make sure SPD is a “productive partner” and active in the area even after the center opens. She also said she would champion services that will help people after their time at the center.

Connections officials have spent recent months trying to address concerns. Over the winter, Connections Health Solutions’ leadership team outlined their operational vision for the Broadway facility.

Over the course of 2025, Connections says the Kirkland facility successfully managed thousands of high-acuity behavioral health and substance-use encounters. Key highlights reviewed by the leadership team included maintaining an average first responder drop-off time of just eight minutes, which significantly reduces strain on local law enforcement and emergency departments.

The operational model, staffing framework, and 24/7/365 immediate-access philosophy will be used at the Seattle Crisis Care Center, officials said.

Officials say the center does not use security guards on the clinical floor. Instead, staff are trained in “Safe Clinch” de-escalation techniques, preserving a therapeutic, non-carceral environment even for highly agitated, manic, or psychotic patients.

At the Kirkland center, Connections says insurance coverage for patients included approximately 50% to 60% on Medicaid, around 10% Commercial, and the rest uninsured with the levy and county contracts bridging the remaining funding.

Under that deal, Connections was funded to purchase the $39 million Kirkland facility and operate the 24/7 mental health care center.

The Broadway center’s budget includes $15 million for the costs of upgrading the facility and funding the contract operator.

Connections says more than 70% of individuals served in 2025 in Kirkland were stabilized and discharged with follow-up care plans.

The facility is slated to begin renovations in 2026 with an expected opening by late 2027. The center will serve as an alternative to jail or emergency rooms for adults across Seattle’s First Hill and Capitol Hill neighborhoods.

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