At Snohomish County Council meeting: Housing providers outline successes, challenges

Snohomish County Councilmembers listen to housing providers during a housing police work session Tuesday morning.

The Snohomish County Council hosted a housing policy work session Tuesday morning, with representatives from several housing providers, including Catholic Community Services, Everett Gospel Mission, Housing Hope, Second Chance Scholarships and Recover Residences attending.

Held at the Robert J. Drewel Building in Everett, the work session was designed for councilmembers to hear organizations’ perspectives on offering housing to unhoused people, among other issues.

The county is in the process of converting the former America’s Best Value Inn in Edmonds and former Days Inn in Everett into emergency bridge housing. The plan is to open both sites sometime in summer 2025.

Jason Cockburn from Second Chance Scholarships said that there needs to be clear expectations on what people will get out of a housing facility. Those whose expectations are not met may rebel, get angry or tell their friends about it, he said.

“We need to have rigorous honesty with them and an expectation that they’re honest with us about where they’re at and where their struggles are,” Cockburn said.

Will Rice from Catholic Community Services said that it is important to address drug use up front to run a successful shelter. He referred to Clare’s Place, a housing facility in Everett that closed due to drug contamination. 

A pre-screening process should be done prior to admitting someone into a housing facility, said Travis Gannon from Recover Residences. Residency should also be determined based on the willingness of residents to sign a behavioral code, he said.

Rita Jo Case from Catholic Community Services told the council that a code of conduct would hold housing facility residents accountable. It would also be beneficial to have medical providers onsite, she said. 

Cockburn said having shared rooms in the beginning could help. If four people struggling with addiction are in one room, one of them may stay alive long enough to call for aid. If a person struggling with addiction is in a room alone, something else may happen, he said. 

“They can lock the door and go in the bathroom … and it’ll be their last breath,” Cockburn said. “The people that serve them have to be the ones to go in the room and clean up the mess.”

At the work session, County Councilmember Megan Dunn inquired about meth-detecting devices and how the technology is being used at housing facilities.

Rice said meth-detecting devices are new and are still developing. The device provides some good data but does not always work, he added. One unit costs about $500, plus a licensing fee.

Cockburn said it would be beneficial to partner housing facility residents with vocational training and educational opportunities. 

“I would strongly suggest that any program we build lean heavily into how we build up a client to be successful,” Cockburn said.

Donna Moulton from Housing Hope said that the stress of not having permanent housing going forward can impact residents’ recovery and decision-making process.

Rachel Downes, also from Housing Hope, added that the county’s bridge housing project can help fill in a gap in the housing system.

Partnering with other organizations can lead to success as not every program will meet everybody’s needs, said John Hull from Everett Gospel Mission. 

“What we’re doing in Snohomish County is trying to build a system of solutions,” Hull said.

Toward the end of the work session, County Councilmember Nate Nehring said it was helpful to hear from all the organizations in attendance.

Working with unhoused people is “a very tough field to be in,” said County Councilmember Sam Low. As someone who grew up in low-income housing, Lowe added he is thankful for the service providers that exist to date.

County Councilmember Strom Peterson, who also serves as a state representative, said housing issues and how to support those who are unhoused will be a focus during the upcoming session of the Washington State Legislature.

When it comes to planning for housing,“I’m really comfortable with our leadership here in the county,” County Council Chair Jared Mead said. “I’m optimistic about where we’re going in the future.”

— Story and photo by Angelica Relente

Angelica Relente is a Murrow News Fellow covering housing and related issues in South Snohomish County for the My Neighborhood News Network.

 

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