It’s not easy for many of us to ask for help. When it comes to substance use, feelings of shame, stigma, and past negative experiences can make asking for help even harder. For people seeking substance use treatment, the complex system of providers and options can be an overwhelming barrier, especially for people with other challenges like housing instability or other mental health conditions.
When someone does feel ready to ask for help, time is of the essence, according to Brandon Whitehead, Shelter Services Director at Chief Seattle Club. “When people say that they’re ready for help, it’s a very small window of opportunity for you to act,” Whitehead said. “It’s critical to act when people come to you and say that they need help.”’
But for many service providers, acting immediately is difficult. Everyone has different needs when it comes to treatment, and finding the right program that has openings can be a complex, time-consuming process.
A new partnership for community-based services
In 2025, Chief Seattle Club and Evergreen Treatment Services (ETS) launched a pilot program to provide a solution. Supported with King County Opioid Settlement Funds, these organizations partnered to bring a substance use disorder counselor to the Native-led housing and human services agency’s Pioneer Square day center. The counselor, who is an ETS employee and works at Chief Seattle Club’s site, provides immediate, one-on-one support to any member who comes to the day center and asks for help. Since launching the pilot last year, the program has provided over 500 client engagements and referrals to services for Chief Seattle Club members.
The partnership is just one example of how communities are using opioid settlement funds to connect people to treatment, resources and support. King County’s 10 opioid settlement partners provide a wide range of innovative community-based services to address the harms of opioids in our community. These include overdose education, naloxone distribution, grief support, and more.
Immediate referral to culturally responsive support and treatment
Within just a few minutes of walking in the door and asking for support, Chief Seattle Club members can find themselves sitting with an ETS substance use disorder counselor to discuss treatment options. The two organizations worked closely to develop a specialized resource library of treatment options in the area that provide culturally responsive care for the Native population. Members can do a clinical intake to assess their needs and get a referral to the right treatment, all without leaving the building. In as little as a few days, they’re on their way to treatment and recovery.
“Funding from the opioid settlement allowed us to partner with CSC to break down traditional barriers to care. We’ve been able to embed a staff member directly in the community for the first time,” said Christine Beeman, Director of Clinic Operations at ETS. “This collaborative approach has opened new doors and inspired our organization to rethink how and where we deliver vital services. It has been a really amazing and eye-opening experience for us.”
“Our members are willing to trust us to coordinate care for them and trust us to set up treatment and to follow through. To me that is success.”
While ETS navigates placement into treatment, Chief Seattle Club provides important follow-up and support. They also help members get identification and work with ETS to arrange transportation if they need a treatment option outside of the immediate area.
Building trust through ongoing partnership
Each person’s recovery journey is different. At Chief Seattle Club, Whitehead has seen members who have been able to get their lives back on track with housing and employment. But many people may need to access treatment services multiple times before they find lasting recovery. For Whitehead and Beeman, the pilot’s bigger success is in the number of individuals who start the process and trust that culturally competent help will be there when they need it.
“We have members that are willing to go and sit down and open themselves up to ETS,” said Whitehead. “Our members are willing to trust us to coordinate care for them and trust us to set up treatment and to follow through. To me that is success.”
Whitehead and Beeman hope that the program can be replicated as a model for other day centers and services providers to embed clinical intake services at their locations.
“Even on days where we just get one person that walks to the door and wants to get that help,” said Whitehead, “I consider that a win.”
Learn more about the King County Opioid Settlement.
Originally published August 24, 2026
Want more insights from Public Health – Seattle & King County? Subscribe to the Public Health Insider from the link at the bottom of the page (mobile) or on the upper right corner of this post (desktop).