
1. Addressing homelessness and providing resources in the Stanwood-Camano area.
McKinney-Vento Act: The McKinney-Vento Act is a federal law that provides assistance to homeless students, ensuring they have access to education. The act defines homelessness broadly, including those living in temporary accommodations. The Stanwood-Camano School District currently has 139 students identified under this act.
Housing and Homelessness in Stanwood: Lori Morgan, a housing navigator, is working with 22 families in Stanwood. The community is seeing an increase in homelessness, including among seniors. Efforts are being made to track and support these individuals.
Community Coalition and Unhoused Work Group: The Community Coalition started in 2017 to address community issues, including homelessness. The Unhoused Work Group focuses on preventing homelessness and providing resources in the Stanwood-Camano area.
Food Bank and Resource Hub: The Stanwood-Camano Food Bank is considering creating a resource hub to consolidate services for the unhoused. This hub could provide essentials like laundry services and private spaces for consultations.
2. Interfaith Family Shelter's mission, services, and challenges in providing low-barrier emergency shelters for families.
Introduction and Overview: Lindsay Gagnon, Executive Director of Interfaith Family Shelter, introduces herself and provides an overview of the organization's mission and history, emphasizing their focus on keeping families together and providing low barrier emergency shelters.
Low Barrier Shelters: Discussion on the meaning of low barrier shelters, highlighting that there are no pre-requirements for entry, and the shelter's policies on substance use disorder and coordinated entry.
Flagship Shelter and Services: Details about the flagship shelter, including its capacity, services provided, and the importance of the children's program to reduce trauma and support family bonding.
Cars to Housing Program: Introduction of the Cars to Housing program, which provides safe parking spots for families living in their cars, offering them similar services as those in shelters.
Miracle House and Hospitality House: Explanation of the Miracle House and Hospitality House, which are single-family homes providing additional units for families, supported by local church partnerships.
Pallet Shelter Community: Overview of the Pallet Shelter Community, its capacity, and the current legal and operational challenges leading to a temporary hiatus.
Future Focus and Challenges: Discussion on the need to focus on finding attainable housing for families post-shelter stay and investing in facilities and staffing to build resiliency.
3. Addressing Homelessness through Community and Faith-Based Partnerships
Partnership with Faith Community: The meeting emphasized the need for partnership with the faith community to address homelessness. The faith community is seen as a crucial partner due to their constant interaction with the issue. The discussion highlighted the challenges faced by shelters, such as lack of volunteers and low turnout, despite efforts to advertise and accommodate pets.
Challenges in Shelter Operations: Shelters face difficulties in attracting volunteers and homeless individuals. Despite having resources like cots and blankets, shelters struggle with low attendance. Advertising efforts include flyers and partnerships with local transport, but challenges persist due to location and lack of awareness.
Homelessness Patterns and Community Dynamics: The community experiences fluctuating patterns of homelessness, with periods of high and low visibility. The transient nature of the homeless population and the lack of consistent services contribute to these patterns. The community lacks shelters, food kitchens, and affordable housing.
Resource Hub and Community Support: The idea of a centralized resource hub was discussed as a potential solution to coordinate services and support for the homeless. The hub would serve as a central point for resources and collaboration among various community stakeholders.
Volunteer Engagement and Community Involvement: There is a strong desire within the community to contribute and volunteer. However, there is a lack of clear direction on how individuals can help. The meeting discussed the need for better communication and coordination to harness this willingness to volunteer.
Conclusion
The faith community is encouraged to collaborate with the work group to find solutions and support initiatives.
Efforts continue to increase awareness and attract both volunteers and homeless individuals.
The community needs to adapt to changing demographics and find ways to provide consistent support.
The concept of a resource hub is seen as a promising solution to streamline support efforts.
Improved communication and coordination are needed to effectively engage volunteers.
4. Community Engagement and Support Initiatives
Faith Community Initiative: The meeting discussed engaging the faith community in a new initiative, emphasizing shared ownership and collaboration. The focus is on addressing community issues in small, manageable steps, particularly targeting families and seniors.
Financial Planning for Community Support: The discussion highlighted the need for clear financial planning to support families and seniors. By defining costs and potential impacts, the group aims to leverage community generosity and participation.
Future Meetings and Collaboration: The meeting proposed organizing future sessions to brainstorm and collaborate on community initiatives. The importance of shared contacts and coalition involvement was emphasized.
Conclusion
The group agreed to start small and involve the faith community in brainstorming sessions to develop actionable plans.
The group plans to work on financial frameworks to excite and engage community members.
A meeting is planned for February to continue discussions and develop strategies.
Next Arrangements
A meeting on Monday with St. Vincent de Paul conferences in western Washington to discuss potential resources and support.
Emailing the flyer from St. Aidan's and the link to volunteer to interested parties.
Organize a brainstorming meeting with the faith community in February.
Develop a financial framework to support families and seniors.
Share contacts within the coalition for better collaboration.
Potential Issues to work through:
The Community Coalition's Unhoused Work Group needs to define specific initiatives and strategies to combat homelessness in the Stanwood-Camano area, with a focus on addressing the increasing homelessness among seniors to prevent overwhelming current resources.
The Pallet Shelter Community is on hiatus due to unresolved legal and operational challenges that require resolution within the next three months to continue providing shelter and support.
The concept of a centralized resource hub is in early stages and needs clarification on implementation, funding, and partnerships, including identifying a suitable location and securing necessary resources.
The community needs to define the scope of their efforts to address homelessness, potentially starting with a specific target group like families, and develop strategies for finding attainable housing for families post-shelter stay.
The specific roles and contributions of the faith community in the homelessness initiative need further clarification to ensure engagement and effective collaboration, along with the development of a detailed financial plan to support families and seniors.