Community care & coordination

An alternative to traditional law enforcement

Learn More
Our Data

Community care & coordination

An alternative to traditional law enforcement

Learn More
Our Data

Our Approach

Our Approach

LEAD provides community-based care for people who commit law violations related to behavioral health issues or extreme poverty, serving as an alternative to punitive enforcement-based responses.

Individuals referred to and approved for LEAD receive access to harm reduction-based intensive case-management. This includes, but is not limited to, chemical dependency treatment, mental health care, legal system support, financial counseling, and referrals into shelter and permanent housing.
LEAD participants are those who commit, or are at high risk of committing, law violations related to their behavioral health challenges and/or income instability.
LEAD case management follows the harm reduction principle of taking each harm seriously. Our primary goal is to reduce problematic and illegal behavior. This in turn reduces the “police-ability” of individuals who have been rebuffed by care systems and exposed to legal enforcement as the primary response to behavioral health conditions and income instability.

Data & Results

Lead Referrals - Past 12 Months

Lead Referrals - Past 12 Months

Approved Community Referrals by Demographic

Evaluations of Results

Independent evaluations show that LEAD reduces recidivism, LEAD is less expensive than the arrest-and-charge system, and LEAD participants are significantly more likely to obtain housing, employment, and legitimate income after a LEAD referral. To access the reports, click the “Results” button below.

Results
Results

Our Referrers

LEAD is proud to partner with a number of local organizations in Seattle/King County that refer individuals for case management.

REACH, ACRS, Co-LEAD, DESC

King County Dept. of Public Defense

King County Prosecuting Attorney

Seattle City Attorney

SFD Health One

Community Passageways

Pioneer Square Alliance

Downtown Seattle Association

U District Partnership

Ballard Alliance

CID Public Safety Team

City of Seattle

King County Public Health

Port of Seattle

Self/Family/Friend

Community residents

Other Social Service Orgs

LEAD is near and dear to my heart because it’s made a difference in our neighborhood in recent months, directly addressing our public safety concerns.

—Christel Peterson, Seattle Community Member

Recent Press

Atlanta non-police response model looks at Seattle’s effort to scale LEAD.

Read More
Read More

Resources

Current LEAD Data – PDF Slideshow

Download PDF
Download PDF

Contact

  • If you're already in the LEAD program, a clinical provider seeking care coordination, or a legal system provider, call (206) 392-0050 ext. 716 or email leadreferrals@defender.org.

    For all other inquiries, please complete this form. LEAD is not presently staffed to respond on an emergency basis.
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