Housing Support Center

About the Program

Category: Human Services (Best in Category)

Year: 2017

People experiencing homelessness or on the verge of losing their housing had to navigate multiple service providers, untangle red tape and endure endless paperwork in search of housing assistance in Island County. That all changed in August 2016 with the opening of the Island County Housing Support Center. Now people seeking housing assistance have a single portal, staffed with friendly, empathic and knowledgeable staff. Here the necessary screenings and assessments are completed to determine what housing and services will best accommodate the needs of the individual or family. It is a one stop shop. The staff also works to connect each person to additional services and resources in our community to help address barriers they are facing; job training services, medical including mental health, educational services and veteran services etc. The timing couldn’t have been better to meet the needs of our growing community. Stagnant wages, a hot housing market, significant spikes in rental rates and the lack of affordable housing development is creating displacement of many either to the streets or on the couch of a friend. The 2017 Homeless Point in Time Count indicated homelessness in Island County had increased 62% from 2014. The percentage increase is in line with homelessness figures across the state. Over the past 8 months, the Housing support Center has seen 792 people walk through their doors seeking housing support. The ultimate goal for the center is to minimize the number of steps it takes to get into housing. Before the Housing Support Center people often felt discouraged and emotionally distressed from dealing with the trauma of living outside or facing eviction while having to retell their stories over and over to the different agencies, only to find out they couldn’t help. The Housing Support Center is changing all of that! “It really is all about streamlining our services and more efficiently delivering those services to folks struggling with homelessness” said Joanne Pelant, Housing Resource Coordinator.