Meeting people where they are.
SCOPE is a unique partnership between Catholic Community Services and the Starbucks Outreach Worker program launched by Starbucks in 2020 to support partners in cities impacted by neighborhood homelessness. Three SCOPE case workers serve 27 Starbucks in King County, scheduling morning visits to consult with managers and check in with unhoused people in the neighborhood. In the afternoons, they expand their outreach to include local encampments, making themselves available to those seeking pathways toward greater stability.
As the region’s most prominent social services agency, CCS has a depth of expertise and resources to help customers in need, whether they are in crisis or seeking longer-term solutions. Understanding the complex needs of people experiencing homelessness requires skill, patience, and time, which can be in short supply in a busy retail establishment. CCS caseworkers are trained to engage marginalized community members and give them resources for shelter, permanent housing, health care, and other social welfare services.
SCOPE staff extend their expertise on homelessness, safety, communication styles, and other topics to Starbucks store managers and shift supervisors as part of the Outreach Worker Program. “[SCOPE caseworkers]Travis and Ryan are superstars. [I] absolutely love and adore who they are, what they do, and how they bring me and my partners along with changes. They help us navigate the unfamiliar and challenging hardships in our community with compassion and grace,” says a Store Manager attendee. Another says, “Before the Outreach Worker Program, I felt helpless. I wanted to help customers, but I didn’t know how. Now I have a supportive resource to help connect folks to their everyday needs,” says a Starbucks partner (employee).
Every person has a story.
SCOPE collaborates with other service providers to create Resource Pop-ups, bringing supplies, resources, and referrals within reach of people with critical needs. On a cold, gray winter morning, SCOPE arrives at a White Center Starbucks Community Store with colleagues from the Evergreen REACH Treatment Services, Lifeline phones, and additional CCS outreach programs. The Community Store Manager welcomes them with food, beverages, and reserved space for a Community Resource Pop-up inside and on an adjacent sidewalk. CCS staff pull folding tables and chairs from their parked van, creating a horseshoe display of things folks might need, like hats, gloves, socks, Narcan, referral literature, and, most welcoming, boxes of hot Starbucks coffee and trays of fresh pastries.
While setting up, a SCOPE caseworker notices Eric, an older man, sitting at a corner table quietly nursing a cup of coffee. His cell phone is plugged into an outlet near the small bundles at his feet. When approached, he gives his name, Eric, and seems relieved to share his story.
He begins by saying he is careful not to wear out his welcome, giving himself a two-hour limit at the café while tracking when the local library will open its doors. He hasn’t slept for a week since his van, which had been home for the last three years, was towed and impounded without notice. He has no cash to redeem it or pay mounting fees. Still, he can’t stop thinking about the belongings inside, especially those precious to his late girlfriend, who created that home for them three years ago. “My whole life is in my van. It belongs to my girlfriend, who passed away.”
He naps on buses when he can. “I could sure use a walker or a cane. I have a hard time walking. My knees are going out, and I’m afraid of losing balance. I fell and hurt my ribs pretty bad. It hurts to cough or breathe.” He shows his ankles, which are swollen with visible sores. They looked much worse when he visited the emergency room a few months ago. That’s when he learned that his kidneys were failing. He’s been referred to dialysis three times a week at a local community health center.
The SCOPE case worker notes that he is entitled to many services, including healthcare, from the VA. “I don’t care to deal with them,” he says, so she encourages him to follow up on a stalled application for cash assistance directly from DSHS. “Tell them you’ve applied for SSI. Say, ‘I am on dialysis.’ That should move you up the line. Do you know about the ORCA Lift program to reduce the cost of your bus fare?”
Links to more CCS services.
The CCS ORCA program manager is seated nearby, ready to enroll qualified riders on her laptop. “This is why we do Starbucks—people like Eric happen to be here.” She tells Eric to take his time as he works his way over to the table. “I have a hard time standing up. I have to push myself,” he explains.
She determines that Eric’s low income qualifies for an ORCA Lift subsidy, enabling him to travel on Metro and other regional transit systems for a one-dollar fare. In the meantime, a CCS staffer has quietly slipped away to get him a cane to steady his gait. His eyes light up as he uses it to move back to his table. He visits with the Lifeline staff to learn how to sign up for low-cost internet and eventually replace his well-used cell phone.
In the meantime, Eric’s caseworker has determined that his van was towed illegally, so he does not need to pay the accumulated fees. However, there is little to be done with the vehicle itself; it is missing a wheel and can’t be moved. SCOPE will help him with a few phone calls to ensure his belongings are securely removed and stored until he finds a permanent home.
In the interim, SCOPE connects Eric with the CCS Junction Point Shelter, a community of temporary housing units for older adults, to see if any are available. The news is good: while there are no openings, he’s now on the waiting list. “As soon as a spot is available, you will get it, he is told. “It should take a couple of weeks. And there are caseworkers there, so the turnover to permanent housing is three to six months.”
“That’s great! I can handle two weeks,” he says as he and a caseworker exchange contact information. He has decided to advocate for himself directly at a local DSHS office. He shoulders his bundles and leaves the café, leaning heavily on his new cane. CCS and SCOPE will continue to support him as much as possible in the weeks ahead.
SCOPE is one of eight programs supported by Starbucks in cities across the country experiencing high levels of homelessness. To learn more about the history of this unique partnership, please visit Starbucks Stories. For more information about SCOPE, please visit their page.