Coming to court or being involved in the judicial system can cause anxiety or nervousness. The high stakes in a court case or participating as a witness or juror can be stressful.
Seattle Municipal Court (SMC) has a positive resource available to help people —whether it’s individuals who have been through the court process, people in transition, or really anybody in the community in need of services. This resource—called the Community Resource Center (CRC)—is on the second floor of the courthouse.
The CRC has existed for more than two decades, originally starting out as a “court nursery” providing childcare for people coming to court. “It has morphed a lot since its inception,” said Tonya Dotson, a Pre-Trial Manager who oversees a team of 10 who work both in the CRC and the King County Jail.
Another team of eight volunteers assist with the day-to-day operations of the CRC by helping clients find resources, offering up clothing and nonperishables the CRC has on site, and helping with data entry and clerical work. “We wouldn’t be the same without our volunteers —a great team of students and a retired lawyer,” Dotson said.
While it’s been about 15 years since the “court nursery” went away, today the CRC is a place for people to come for a wide variety of services from different providers in the city. People who come in are often referred to the CRC from the courtroom, their attorney or the judge, other court staff or a service provider, and some come in just off the street. “We haven’t ever really felt the need to advertise, as we are always busy,” Dotson said.
The CRC offers a variety of services including how to get food stamps or other Department of Social & Human Services (DSHS) assistance, information about low-cost or free health /vision/dental care, housing and shelter referrals, hygiene kits, information on ID vouchers or replacement, helping with income verification through DSHS, referral to free legal clinic services (non-criminal only) in King County; and information on library cards, cell phone services, medication-assisted treatment, mental health services, Native services, opiate dependency, Orca cards, utility assistance, veterans services, and resolving outstanding legal fines, fees and unpaid tickets. For a full list of CRC providers and partners, click here.
Additionally, the CRC offers a variety of workshops, such as how to apply for work with a conviction history, a DUI victims panel, life skills workshop, a drug diversion workshop, a domestic violence intervention program, anger management and more.
“We’re currently starting a process to add more partners to our line-up, in addition to adding new workshops,” Dotson said. “This will most likely happen once the court hires a resource coordinator, which should happen sometime in early 2025. This new role has been created for someone who is good at building effective community relationships and who can make an impact with outreach.”
Keep an eye on the CRC’s website for more information as this team has big plans ahead for 2025.