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Over the spring and summer, I asked our Office of Recovery & Resilience to visit communities across Snohomish County and hear directly from residents on their needs and priorities for pandemic recovery. In every discussion, Snohomish County communities, from service providers, to elected officials, to residents and businesses, made clear that we need to use our federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to significantly increase affordable housing, shelter, and behavioral health resources.
We heard the community loud and clear, and over the last two weeks, we announced three significant ARPA-funded investments to increase bridge housing and behavioral health services across the county:
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Shelter & Behavioral Health Partnership Program – 36 new units
- Council-approved purchase of the Days Inn hotel to convert to bridge housing – 74 new units
- Council-approved purchase of the America’s Best Value Inn to convert to bridge housing – 55 new units
In total, these three projects will create 165 spaces in 2022 alone, representing a 26 percent increase in Snohomish County’s system capacity.
Beyond new units, our Shelter & Behavioral Health Partnership Program will also result in:
- Rent and rapid rehousing assistance to help at least 130 individuals and families either stay in their homes or find new housing; and
- Increased behavioral health services, including social workers embedded with emergency response, navigation services for those interacting with the criminal legal system, case managers for unhoused residents, wraparound services for disadvantaged students, and in-school mental health clinicians and social workers.
On Wednesday, the Snohomish County Council approved both hotel purchases. Now that the purchases are finalized, Snohomish County will conduct extensive on-site assessments of both facilities to determine any needed renovations. In addition, the County will issue a Request for Proposals for service providing organizations to help operate the facilities.
We will also continue community outreach to ensure residents and organizations can learn more about the program, provide input on implementation, and ask questions. Interested readers can find more information on all three programs on our recovery website, and can reach out to SnohomishCounty.Recovers@snoco.org with any questions or ideas.
The addition of these new housing and behavioral health services will make Snohomish County an even better place to live, work, and play.
Sincerely,
Dave Somers
Snohomish County Executive
The Snohomish County Human Services Department announced that their draft Business Plan to Fund Affordable Housing, Behavioral Health Facilities, and Related Services is available for public comment. The draft plan can be found here.
Earlier this year, Executive Somers and the Snohomish County Council passed an ordinance authorizing the collection of 0.1 percent of sales tax ($0.01 on a $10 purchase) to be used for affordable housing and behavioral health facilities, associated operating and maintenance costs, and services as allowable under House Bill 1590. The Plan will significantly increase affordable housing and behavioral health facilities in our County over the next several years.
 The draft 1590 Business Plan is available here and interested residents can also review the 2022 Point in Time count summary which offers additional information about homelessness in Snohomish County. Those interested in providing feedback can complete and submit this questionnaire to HART@snoco.org. Community members can also send general comments not affiliated with the questionnaire to HART@snoco.org. Comments must be submitted by September 15, 2022 to be considered in the final draft.
Last week, Executive Somers announced a new effort to support the ongoing work to expand access to high-quality broadband. Using ARPA funds, Snohomish County will launch a comprehensive study to identify gaps in high-quality broadband access for households across the county. The study will specifically review and map gaps in broadband infrastructure, speed, and affordability to ensure programmatic solutions address an array of access challenges.
“Lack of access to affordable, high-quality broadband poses a serious risk to the health and wellbeing of our residents, workers, and businesses. Closing gaps in access will have lasting economic, educational, health, and cultural benefits for Snohomish County communities,” said Executive Somers. “By mapping existing broadband gaps, we can ensure our upcoming investments are made swiftly and equitably. I appreciate the partnership with the Snohomish County Council and our Broadband Action Team, who spearhead our efforts to expand high-quality broadband access across the county.”
Addressing gaps in broadband access is a top priority for Snohomish County. Executive Somers and the Snohomish County Council allocated $5 million of the county’s ARPA funds toward broadband expansion efforts. In addition, earlier in 2022, Snohomish County received a $16.7 million grant from the State of Washington to expand broadband access on the SR-530 corridor.
Interested readers can find more information on this announcement – and the County’s ongoing broadband efforts – here.
Forecasts indicate we’ll continue experiencing extremely warm temperatures in Snohomish County through Thursday night. It’s important to do everything you can to stay cool during these temperatures, because heat-related illnesses, such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion, can cause damage to the brain and other vital organs. Everyone should take precautions during extreme heat.
 Snohomish County has prepared a one-stop-shop where you can find everything from updated forecasts and advisories, to cooling center locations, to guidance on keeping yourself and your loved ones – including your pets – cool during extreme heat.
Find more information: www.snoco.org/cooling
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