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Local nonprofit leaders say there is a continuing need for housing stability, especially for people who choose to migrate to Snohomish County.
The Washington West African Center (WAWAC) sees that need first hand with the Sutura Housing Project, which helps West African immigrants who are struggling to stay in their homes, pay their bills or have other needs.
WAWAC Executive Director and Founder Pa Joof said the need for housing assistance has increased since the project kickstarted in 2023.
So far this year, the organization received 233 housing assistance applications. The organization received 345 applications in 2024, and 84 applications in 2023.
“It’s been going up more and more and more by the day,” Joof said.
The word sutura means total confidentiality, Joof said. The project serves newly arrived immigrants in addition to current residents struggling with housing.
“Most of the newly arrived migrants that come here and don’t have families and don’t know anybody find themselves in these precarious situations where they need housing first,” Joof said.
WAWAC provides wraparound services through the project, so along with housing, the organization offers English language classes and case management services, as well as distributes culturally relevant groceries.
Snohomish County helps keep the Sutura Housing Project going through the Washington State Department of Commerce’s Consolidated Homeless Grant (CHG) funds.
Commerce distributes CHG funds to local governments and nonprofits so they can address the unique needs of people experiencing homelessness in their communities.
“The County has received homeless assistance funding from Commerce for a long time. The name, amount and eligible uses have changed over the years,” County Public Information Officer Mohamed Bughrara said.
A portion of the CHG funds are for homelessness-prevention activities. That includes “housing-focused supportive services and temporary rent subsidies,” he said. For 2022-25, homeless prevention funds made up 33% of the county’s entire CHG fund. For 2025-27, the funds make up 25%.
Bughrara said homelessness prevention funding wasn’t a category under the CHG until July 2023.
Commerce requires at least 10% of the homelessness-prevention funding to be subcontracted to “By and For Organizations.” These are groups that are “culturally based, and primarily lead, controlled and operated by and for the communities they serve,” Bughrara said.
The county awards 15% of the homelessness prevention funding. In 2023, the county chose WAWAC, Latino Educational Training Institute (LETI), Millennia Ministries and Mother Nation.
For 2023-25, the county distributed about $1.93 million to the four agencies. For 2026-27, Bughrara said the county will have about $1.66 million to award.
When asked about the slight decrease in funding, Bughrara said: “The amount received is based on the revenue generated from the document recording fees that is transmitted to the state. The document recording fees have decreased overall during the last several years due to market conditions.”
University of Washington student Nariman Elshamma, who also volunteers at WAWAC, said it’s apparent that the Sutura Housing Project is one of the most needed and appreciated resources the nonprofit has.
Elshamma is analyzing WAWAC’s housing project for her practicum project. She wants to identify any challenges and barriers people are experiencing, research how the housing project has helped people, and find any improvements that could be made to it.
Joof said one of WAWAC’s goals in the future is to buy a plot of land on which to build some housing units, a day care center, an event and office space, and a food processing and distribution center.
“This is the eventual solution for housing in the West African community,” Joof said.
Josefina Carrillo, who coordinates LETI’s eviction prevention program, said the organization helps clients avoid eviction by creating some type of plan for them to become financially stable.
LETI specializes in serving first- and second-generation Latino communities in South Snohomish County. It offers a plethora of programs, including education, health and wellness, basic needs and culture.
To start, LETI assesses their client’s needs, such as if they need to take English language classes and if they qualify for public assistance programs.
“The goal will be to get them out of the poverty cycle,” Carillo said.
Because funds are limited, Carillo said LETI can only assist one or two clients per month, depending on their needs. As of late September, there are more than 20 clients on LETI’s waitlist.
Carillo said there are many factors that contribute to the housing crisis in the Latino community. Factors include fleeing from a domestic violence situation, loss of employment or being undocumented.
LETI Founder Rosario Reyes said the organization’s clients spend about 66% of their income on rent.
“The problem with housing is way bigger than we will ever document,” Reyes said.
Reyes hopes to expand the LETI Training Center in Everett and make room for housing and other facilities as a part of its Incubator for Family Success project. More information on the project can be found here.
Ashley Kiboigo, a housing resource navigator at Millennia Ministries, said their program works to keep people housed. They have a wraparound service, meaning they help educate their clients on top of preventing eviction.
Everett-based Millennia Ministries focuses on housing instability advocacy, crisis, transition and permanent supportive housing, according to its website. It also addresses food insufficiency barriers in the community.
In addition, Millennia Ministries stands for “the empowerment of BIPOC individuals, single parent families, immigrants, seniors, and others by promoting the right to an equitable and equal belonging in our society,” the organization’s website says.
Kiboigo said Millennia Ministries focuses on providing educational resources because many who come for help don’t always know what services are available. It offers financial literacy classes and life goals and planning classes, as well as “soul care” Josefina Carrillo, who coordinates LETI’s eviction prevention program, said the organization helps clients avoid eviction by creating some type of plan for them to become financially stable.
“We need to address the traumas that you have in your life and in your past life to make you feel like you’re always in survival mode,” Kiboigo said.
LETI specializes in serving first- and second-generation Latino communities in South Snohomish County. It offers a plethora of programs, including education, health and wellness, basic needs and culture.
To start, LETI assesses their client’s needs, such as if they need to take English language classes and if they qualify for public assistance programs.
“The goal will be to get them out of the poverty cycle,” Carillo said.
Because funds are limited, Carillo said LETI can only assist one or two clients per month, depending on their needs. As of late September, there are more than 20 clients on LETI’s waitlist.
Carillo said there are many factors that contribute to the housing crisis in the Latino community. Factors include fleeing from a domestic violence situation, loss of employment or being undocumented.
LETI founder Rosario Reyes said the organization’s clients spend about 66% of their income on rent.
“The problem with housing is way bigger than we will ever document,” Reyes said.
Reyes hopes to expand the LETI Training Center in Everett and make room for housing and other facilities as a part of its Incubator for Family Success project. More information on the project can be found here.
In the past year, Millennia Ministries received 6,916 calls requesting for food, diapers and wipes, gas cards, housing advocacy and eviction prevention assistance.
Nearly half of the calls – 3,119 – were from individuals and families seeking housing assistance. In 2024, the organization received 1,976 housing assistance calls. In 2023, they received 921 calls.
“This growth highlights the increasing instability faced by working households struggling to pay rent and utilities,” Kiboigo said.
Snohomish County says it will seek the CHG or homeless assistance funding as long as the state makes the funds available, and as long as state laws or the Legislature allows for the revenue to support them.
— 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. Contact her at angelica@myedmondsnews.com.
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