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The county recently announced that it is considering purchasing Hope Covenant Church on 45th and Rucker/Evergreen to potentially convert into a shelter for people experiencing homelessness and with additional capacity for a climate shelter, which is temporary shelter for extreme hot/cold/smoke weather events. The issue is complicated, so I put together this timeline which may be helpful to sort through the information:
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August 2022 – Administration from the City of Everett began requests to the county to relocate an existing shelter in downtown Everett.
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October 2022 – City of Everett administration referred the Hope Covenant Church property owners to county administration for further discussions about purchasing the property and relocating the existing shelter to this location.
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Winter 2022 – County Executive’s office conducted site tours, performed inspections, and had conversations with the church owner over a potential use for the property.
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January 27 – The County executive’s office and the property owner signed a “Memorandum of Understanding” (MOU) that the county would begin a public outreach and exploratory phase to determine if the county would move forward with a purchase. The MOU also locked in a sale price which is an important element of the process as going public with a potential sale can increase interest from developers and drive up the sale price.
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April 1 – County began the public outreach portion by canvasing the neighborhood and engaging with neighbors who lived within 1,000ft of Hope Covenant Church. Of the doors knocked, the majority of people were not home. Of those home, there was a relatively even split between people who were ambivalent, people who were vocally supportive, and people who were vocally in opposition.
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April 4 - The county hosted it’s first community meeting. About 20 people had rsvp’d, so an intimate crowd and discussion was expected. Electeds were not informed or invited as it was intended to be a discussion amongst community members and county staff only. Instead almost 90 engaged neighbors attended the first meeting.
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April 5 - Upon learning about the previous night’s meeting, I met with county executive staff to be updated and briefed. I then cleared my schedule to attend the community meeting that evening to listen to concerned residents.
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April 6 - County executive staff sent a memo to the City of Everett Mayor and Council President to ask for clearer guidance on if they support proceeding with outreach, since it was city administration who had initially passed the suggestion along.
- At this point, the proceedings are on hold until the county receives clarity on if the city would still support moving forward with outreach and discussions.
Where there is clear consensus among everyone is an acknowledgement of an urgent need to address housing and homelessness in our communities. Where we are not finding consensus is a location where people experiencing homelessness should safely sleep at night or receive services. At this time there are still discussions being held between the county, the city, and the property owners about next steps and nothing has yet been decided, including whether or not to move forward with a purchase of the site.
This matter is still developing and I will pass along more info as it becomes available.
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Sharing remarks with the crowd at the April 5 community meeting (Photo Credit: Annie Barker with the Herald) |
Earlier this month County Executive Dave Somers provided remarks at the annual State of the County Address which was held at the Future of Flight in Everett. In his address, Executive Somers shared an optimistic message about the future of our region and ways that we can preserve and protect it by addressing public safety, housing, economic development, and sustainability. I look forward to continuing to work with the executive in the coming year to tackle these big issues. We really do live in the most beautiful area of the lower 48 and this video from the address highlights the work we are doing in the county and how lucky we are to be surrounded by such stunning natural beauty.
If you missed the event and would like to watch it, the full live stream is available at this website: https://www.facebook.com/EconAllianceSC/videos/883359996084236.
This year there are a number of amazing events to celebrate Earth Day on April 22. There are work parties and events all over the county to pull invasive weeds, plant trees, clean up beaches, and watch educational films. Events across the county have been added to the Snohomish County Earth Day event page found here: https://snohomishcountywa.gov/3871/Earth-Day.
The County also has a number of boards and commissions that address climate change and our environment including the Climate Action Advisory Committee, Conservation Futures Program Advisory Board, Marine Resources Advisory Committee, Parks Advisory Board, Solid Waste Advisory Committee and more. If you have an interest or background in environmentalism and would like to do more to serve the community beyond Earth Day, please don’t hesitate to reach out and I can help connect you.
Another way to increase your personal and household environmental stewardship is to participate in the WSU Snohomish County Extension “Waste Warriors Training Series”. The series is hosted for the five Wednesdays of May from 6-9p at the WSU Snohomish County Extension building at Willis Tucker Park. Topics will cover proper recycling, composting and effective waste strategies with exciting speakers and activities. Check out the website for more information and to sign up to be a Waste Warrior.
Earlier this month I announced that I awarded $351,400 across three human services organizations to address the ongoing response and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizations who received awards include $100,000 for Interfaith Family Shelter to expand temporary housing for families experiencing homelessness, $100,000 to Everett Recovery Café to provide support services for people recovering from addiction, and $151,400 to Madres de Casino Road for a fresh food pantry and meal program. Addressing human service needs through the pandemic has been a priority of mine and I’m proud of the work I’ve done to bring human service providers together for monthly calls with the county and Health Department to help remove informational silos and meet people’s needs. These dollars will help several organizations in the area in their recovery efforts and I am honored to sponsor a portion of their projects.
More info and the press release can be found here.
The Economic Alliance of Snohomish County hosts a virtual “Coffee Chat” every Tuesday morning at 8:30. On April 25 I will be joining Mary Jane Brell-Vujovic, Director of Snohomish County Human Services Department, and Chris Collier, the Affordable Housing Alliance Program Manager, to discuss opportunities and efforts to address housing affordability and homelessness in Snohomish County. I often get asked about what the county is doing in this regard, and this is a great opportunity to hear more about just how difficult the situation is, and what is being done to address it. The event is free and open to the public, but you will need to register through this site to receive the Zoom link for the meeting.
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I am honored to speak at the upcoming American Institute of Architects Decarbonization for Health Equity & Community Resilience Conference. In my role as Chair of the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, I’ve been asked to be a panelist for the "Community Engagement: Air Quality & Positive Health Outcomes" panel where we will discuss the importance of prioritizing system-solution approaches that positively impact health outcomes for communities, with a focus on the importance of improving our air quality. For more information on the conference or the AIA, please visit their website at: https://aiaseattle.org/.
The Comprehensive Plan is a document that guides Snohomish County decisions on a wide range of topics and services over a 20-year time period. The County uses the Plan as the blueprints for development.
The County is currently seeking your input on draft policy amendments for the Climate Change and Capital Facilities and Utilities Elements of the Snohomish County Comprehensive Plan. There are several phases of public review for the Comprehensive Plan’s draft policy amendments and during this phase the county is hoping to hear from you about the importance of prioritizing efforts to combat climate change. The current phase began on March 31st and will close on May 1, 2023. Links to the draft policy amendments are available on the project webpage.
Each summer, the Schack Art Center hosts a Fresh Paint celebration to bring artists together to sell their pieces. This year, the Schack is offering scholarships to all NEW vendors who have not participated in Fresh Paint as a vendor before. The hope is that new artists will gain exposure in the community and be able to participate without the financial strain. Deadline to submit your application is June 3. Here’s the application: https://form.jotform.com/230156724039150.
Starting April 3, employment applications will be accepted for the 2023 Evergreen State Fair. Visit evergreenfair.org for more information and applications. Applicants must be available to work all 11 days of the Evergreen State Fair. (Aug 24-29 & Aug 31- Sept 4, 2023). If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call the fair offices at: 360-805-6700.
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