State's First Brain Injury Center Proposed for Shoreline

A longtime Seattle nonprofit wants to build the state’s first traumatic brain injury center  in Shoreline.

Provail, which provides support services to people with disabilities, has its eyes on property in south Shoreline. The proposal is in the early stages, and no building permits have been submitted to the city of Shoreline. 

Provail is actually proposing two facilities: an eight-room, single-story residential facility and a multistory traumatic brain injury center.

The agency's asked for $900,000 in state capital funds for the brain injury center and about $950,000 for the residential facility from the state's Housing Trust Fund, Provail CEO Mike Hatzenbeler said.

“We have a property in mind, but we haven’t completed the feasibility study on the project, and we haven’t secured funding from the state Housing Trust Fund,” he said.

He presented his proposal to the City Council last month and has had preliminary conversations with city officials. Shoreline is the organization’s preferred site because of its central location, Hatzenbaler said.

Last year, Provail started the state’s first traumatic brain injury clubhouse, Seattle BrainWorks, at its headquarters, 12550 Aurora Ave. N. If it succeeds in securing funding, Provail would eventually combine the clubhouse and brain injury center  in Shoreline, Hatzenbaler said. 

Clubhouses are common in mental health support circles, Hatzenbaler said. The clubhouse model provides a structured day program for people healing from brain injuries. Clubhouse members help each other to learn and re-learn tasks they need to reintegrate into the community.

The brain injury center would provide a range of  services. Those include occupational and physical therapy, counseling, support, case managment and other services for potentially hundreds of people recovering from traumatic brain injuries, including some military veterans, Hatzenbaler said.

Funding for the clubhouse comes from the state’s Traumatic Brain Injury fund, administered by the Department of Social and Health Services. Fees collected from traffic infractions support the fund. A TBI board makes recommendations to DSHS on where to spend the money.

“(Clubhouses) simulate the routine you have in your life when you have a job,” Hatzenbaler said. Such support is vital, he added. Without it, people recovering from serious brain injuries have limited options other than group or nursing homes.

Provail hasn’t applied to the city of Shoreline for a building permit, the first step toward construction, community services manager Rob Beem said. That won’t happen until Provail comes up with money it needs. The city has less than $50,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funds available for various projects it deems worthy. Provail’s proposal could be one of them.

Provail runs a dental clinic, provides direct in-home support, employment services, speech, occupational and physical therapy and computer support groups. It serves more than 1,000 people with disabilities annually.

“The city has an interest in seeing that housing is available for the full range of folks who live in our communities,” said Beem. “Sadly, there are people with brain injuries who need a place to live.”