Background & Approach
Issaquah is a city in King County about 17 miles east of Seattle. Prior to joining the IMPACT Network, Issaquah focused primarily on early intervention community services, law enforcement responses, initial detention and court hearings, and pretrial jail and court-based diversion programs. The city established a Behavioral Health and Homeless Outreach Program within the Human Services Division, in collaboration with the Issaquah Police Department, as well as a Homeless Outreach Dashboard. Issaquah’s problem-solving Community Court supports individuals with low-level charges and social service or behavioral health needs. Through the IMPACT Network, Issaquah prioritizes streamlining cross-system communication and coordination between multiple programs and departments, including human services, law enforcement, courts, corrections, fire, parks, and eventually, hospitals and crisis centers. Human Services meets monthly with various organizations, then quarterly as a larger group to share progress. They are also building the Familiar Faces Collaborative to collect data and better meet the needs of people with frequent jail contact.