EVERETT, Wash. - About 100 people gathered Friday to celebrate the opening of the Everett New Start Center, a bridge housing facility operated by The Salvation Army in a former motel, according to Snohomish County.
The center at 1602 SE Everett Mall Way offers time-limited bridge housing with 24/7 on-site staffing and wraparound services, including behavioral health support, connections to medical and dental care, employment and benefits assistance, life skills development and help finding permanent housing.
Snohomish County purchased the former motel in 2022, and up to 73 residential rooms are available at the site. The project came in on budget at a little under $22 million, including purchase and renovations, paid for with federal American Rescue Plan Act money and county Affordable Housing and Behavioral Health funds drawn from a dedicated portion of local sales tax. Ongoing operations are supported by a mix of local and federal housing funds, the county said in a news release.
"We've heard clearly from the community that they want us to focus on programs and projects that can help people early on, before they find themselves in worse circumstances," Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers said at the event, per the county.
County Council Chair Megan Dunn said the building means a bed and a case manager for each person who walks through the door, and fewer people cycling through emergency rooms for the broader community. Everett City Council Vice President Paula Rhyne called transitional housing a bridge between crisis and stability.
"Today isn't just the opening of a building," said Salvation Army Captain Gin Pack. "Today, hope has another address in Everett."
The Everett facility is the county's second New Start Center, following the Edmonds location, which opened in June. Full remarks from the opening event will be posted early next week at www.snocotv.org, the county said.