Event about reducing homelessness draws local leaders, service providers

Local community leaders and several Snohomish County organizations that serve those experiencing or at risk of homelessness gathered Tuesday afternoon in Everett for an invitation-only Community Solutions Showcase.

Co-hosted by The Partnership to End Homelessness and Everett Gospel Mission (EGM), the goal of the event was to “provide a clear, accessible view of how services connect — from outreach and emergency shelter to housing, healthcare and long-term stabilization,” according to an EGM news release.

Close to 20 service providers, including Volunteers of America Western Washington, Housing Authority of Snohomish County, Housing Hope and Cocoon House, had booths set up with informative posters and pamphlets.

Community leaders such as Mountlake Terrace Mayor Pro Tem Bryan Wahl, Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin and Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers were present at the event.

Somers said during his opening remarks that homelessness is not a single-agency problem to be solved with a single-agency response. A true continuum of care involves prevention services, outreach and affordable housing, among other things.

“We need to address both urgent and long-term needs,” Somers said.

The county has been expanding its shelter and emergency housing capacity while reducing the number of unsheltered people, Somers said, noting that this year’s Point-in-Time Count decreased by 5.8% compared to last year.

“The challenge is not that the strategies are ineffective. The challenge is scale and whether we have the resources necessary to implement these solutions at the level required to meet the need,” Somers said.

EGM CEO John Hull led a panel with Wahl, local developer Darin Huseby and Housing Hope CEO Kat Opina. Among the questions Hull asked is what jurisdictions are beginning to recognize about housing and homelessness as a county-wide issue.

Wahl said cities have come a long way in the last 10 years. Cities are now seeing the cost of housing rise as well as the amount of encampments, and that recognition alone has forced elected officials to recognize that something needs to be done, he said.

When asked about what the continuum immediately needs while the county works to develop affordable long-term housing, Opina said having an event where all the providers are in a room counts as one.

“The answer to homelessness is as complicated as the cause of homelessness,” Opina said. “There’s rarely ever one issue that causes that, so we need to have a variety of responses that help us do that.”

Hull asked the panelists what shared responsibility looks like. Wahl said homelessness is not just an “Everett problem,” and that other jurisdictions need to work together to understand the needs, challenges and possible solutions.

When it comes to NIMBYism (not in my backyard), Opina said it is important to inform people that everyone needs and should have access to supportive services -– people with disabilities, veterans and those who have come across tough times.

Wahl said a huge part of overcoming NIMBYism starts with educating elected officials and then having those elected officials pass along information to residents.

Franklin said there are a lot of jurisdictions that have been stepping up in meaningful ways by investing in housing or participating in events like the Community Solutions Showcase. She said she would like to see more of that.

“The challenge ahead of us is not whether people or agencies care,” Franklin said, “it’s how we continue to align our efforts into a stronger, more coordinated response that matches the scale of need that we are seeing.”

Angelica Relente is a Murrow News Fellow covering housing and related issues in South Snohomish County for the My Neighborhood News Group. Contact her at [email protected].