Economic Alliance Snohomish County and the Common Cause Partner Campaign are teaming up to present a panel discussion on homelessness and housing.The conversation will take place during a Tuesday, Sept. 27 livestream of EASC’s online series Coffee Chats entitled Homelessness is a Housing Problem.

The goal, organizers said, is to educate the public on the needs for mixed-use housing as the most impactful solution for unsheltered and rent-burdened community members.

The Common Cause Partner Campaign is a collaboration of nonprofit organizations and key community stakeholders whose shared missions are to end homelessness in Snohomish County. The campaign aims to empower everyday citizens to become housing champions alongside local leadership.

“Our goal is for people to understand the grave need for a variety of housing solutions in Snohomish County,” said Joan Penney, communications director at Common Cause Partner Campaign…

Penney will be featured as one of the panelists during this upcoming discussion. She will be joined by Chris Collier, program manager at Housing Authority of Snohomish County and Gregg Colburn, assistant professor of real estate in the University of Washington’s College of Built Environments and author of the book Homelessness is a Housing Problem.

From the event announcement:

Colburn, whose book shares a name with the upcoming EASC event, began researching homelessness after moving to Seattle in 2017. When he looked at cities with varying numbers of homelessness based on poverty, mental health treatment factors and drug use, it became clear that housing plays an immense role in homelessness. Most academics agree with Colburn’s findings, but much of the public has yet to be convinced.

Registered attendees for this free, online discussion will be encouraged to participate by asking the panelists questions. The event will stream on Zoom from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 27. Click here for more information and to register.