Kirsten Jewell, Housing and Homelessness in Kitsap County

https://www.bainbridgereview.com/news/expert-some-homeless-have-just-fallen-on-hard-times-want-help/

Expert: Some homeless have fallen on hard times, want help | Bainbridge Island Review The Kitsap County Department of Human Services estimates that one in every 240 people of the county’s 267,000 residents is homeless or struggling with housing insecurity.

Project Connect returns this week to help individuals and families access local services and receive free resources.
Details at https://lnks.gd/2/zXVNPZ
Events are scheduled:
• Tuesday, January 24, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Gateway Church, 18901 8th Ave NE, Poulsbo
• Wednesday, January 25, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., The Salvation Army, 832 6th Street, Bremerton
• Thursday, January 26, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Port Orchard Methodist Church, 725 Kitsap Street, Port Orchard

https://apple.news/ArleFq-n7Sq-IzDmybiLNkw

Alarm as US states pass ‘very concerning’ anti-homeless laws — Guardian US Homelessness charities say wave of new bills unfairly targets people without housing as social-services funding is cut

I’m so proud of the Severe Weather Shelter Program and grateful for the truly amazing volunteers that make this life-saving program possible!

Kitsap emergency weather shelters have been open for 23 nights in two months More volunteers are needed to help staff the shelters during the prolonged cold stretch, county officials say.

Commissioner's Corner October 2022: Pacific Building In this episode of Commissioner’s Corner, Charlotte Garrido interviews individuals who have sought assistance through the Kitsap Rescue Mission about the cau...

Hope to see many of you at the Pacific Building Open House this Wednesday, October 26, 5:30pm - 7:30pm, 4459 SE Mile Hill Drive, Port Orchard!

State of Homelessness: 2022 Edition In 2021, the Coronavirus pandemic interrupted homelessness data collection, specifically the Point-in-Time Count. Thus, the current version of the State of Homelessness reflects limited updates as compared to the previous year. Since 2020 was the last year for which full […]

It was great to see so many people at this meeting, asking questions and sharing concerns about the challenging issue of homelessness in Kitsap.

Kitsap County leaders talk about homeless camps, response: 'It's not a perfect world' Kitsap County has tallied 25 camps on county property. Over 110 people joined the first community conversation on encampments and homelessness.

Kitsap County seeks solution as RVs fill Silverdale lot: 'All I want is a place to live' County officials are working to clear the trailers off Poplars Avenue but are first working to find permanent homes for residents there.

We need a program and facility like this in Kitsap.

https://www.columbian.com/news/2022/may/18/assisted-living-residence-for-formerly-homeless-people-opens-in-hazel-dell/?fbclid=IwAR1WpEkQgS8N1GACnpDUsq52xyxSz_f2T3V1P-LmwU1OiVULt2P3vSojyYk

Assisted living residence for formerly homeless people opens in Hazel Dell A three-story, 40-unit assisted living facility that will provide critical housing and support for formerly homeless individuals with complex behavioral and physical health challenges is opening in Ha

Kitsap foster youth get a boost to help with housing Kitsap foster youth get a boost to help with housing Kitsap County Washington sent this bulletin at 05/10/2022 02:28 PM PDT View this as a webpage Kitsap County News May 10, 2022 Foster youth get a boost in Kitsap County In an effort to support young people coming out of foster care, Kitsap County a...

Kitsap County's new HEART coordinator helping homeless community, addressing encampments Jarrod Moran’s role is to offer resources and help to those living outside in encampments or in cars on county property.

'Find someplace to hide:' County's plans to replace encampments with offers of shelter met with skepticism by those living in parks Kitsap County says it will start posting notices requiring those living in encampments in county parks to vacate next month.

The Disturbing Realities of Homelessness and Violence In recent days, three stories among the many stories of grief that have received national attention were about killings committed by people who were characterized as homeless or “appearing to be homeless.” Stories about “dangerous homeless people” and particularly “dangerous […]

Cleanup effort targets trash at Veterans Memorial Park's homeless encampments Volunteers fanned out across Veterans Memorial Park Saturday to clean up the land while helping those who live there survive.

So proud of all the amazing work our community volunteers and the Housing & Homelessness Division staff do to support the Severe Weather Shelter program! We had a little cameo on KOMO news last night.

https://komonews.com/news/local/warming-shelters-open-in-south-sound-as-bitter-cold-temps-continue

Warming shelters open across Puget Sound as bitter cold temps continue As temperatures are once again going down at night, warming shelters are opening up. Most every county has declared some sort of weather emergency. “Cold, very cold,” said Thelma Susalla who is experiencing homelessness. “Very bad. I mean my hands are so dry and it’s just bad...

Point-in-time count will survey homeless individuals across Kitsap on Thursday The County will conduct its point in time count on February 24th to survey homeless individuals in Kitsap.

Look at the location with the largest rent increases in 2021 - our own Silverdale, WA.

Yes, the high cost of housing in Kitsap does contribute to more homelessness.

Median single-family home prices in Kitsap now hover in $500K range Prices rose to record levels in 2021, and real estate industry experts in Kitsap don't expect prices to retreat anytime soon.

Kitsap County is hiring for a new position – a Homeless Encampment Action and Response Team Coordinator. This new position will work to implement the county’s new encampment response policy, working with a variety of county departments and community partners to ensure a compassionate, coordinated, and consistent response to encampments on county land, such as parks and rights of way. It is a primarily an administrative role to coordinate outreach and cleanup efforts, with a small amount of time visiting and inspecting encampments. Please share this job posting widely so that we can find just the right candidate!

https://agency.governmentjobs.com/kitsap/job_bulletin.cfm?JobID=3407196

Job Bulletin

Please consider volunteering for the 2022 Point In Tome Count, if you can!

2022 Kitsap County Point-in-Time Count — Northwest Hospitality Kitsap County is counting our unhoused neighbors to learn more about who we need to serve and how best to provide resources. Northwest Hospitality is helping to organize the count this year. It will take over 100 volunteers to count as many people as possible so we will need your help to get it do

Due to anticipated freezing weather conditions, four Kitsap County Severe Weather Shelters are open Tuesday, February 1. Check in by 8 p.m. Those needing transportation to the closest shelter can call 360-373-3000 to arrange for a ride before 7 p.m.
Details at https://www.kitsapdem.com/severe-weather-shelters-open-7/

Volunteers for the 2022 Kitsap County Point-In-Time Count of those living without homes. People from all areas of the county are needed for street outreach and surveying at meal sites and other locations where people receive services. Volunteer shifts are flexible and varied! Northwest Hospitality is working with Kitsap County to coordinate volunteers for the 2022 count Feb. 22-25. Visit https://www.nwhospitality.org/events/pit2022kitsap for details and an online application.
Learn more about previous annual counts and find housing and homelessness information and resources at https://www.kitsapgov.com/hs/Pages/HH-Point-in-Time.aspx

This will make a huge difference in our county and communities! Thank you to our Commissioners for taking action to increase funding for housing that is affordable to our lowest income households. Now the real work begins….

https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/2022/01/11/kitsap-county-commissioners-pass-sales-tax-increase-pay-affordable-housing/9166294002/

Kitsap County commissioners approve sales tax increase for affordable housing Beginning April 1, Kitsap County will start to collect the revenue from an additional 0.1% of sales and use tax for affordable housing.

This article amplified what we have been trying to communicate for a long time - the number one driver of homelessness is the shortage of housing that is affordable for households with lower incomes.

What's behind rising homelessness in America? The number of Americans living without homes, in shelters, or on the streets continues to rise at an alarming rate. Judy Woodruff reports on why that is, and what more can be done to prevent it.

Kitsap County warming shelter open to the public from 8am to 5pm thru January 1, 2022.

On this Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day, USICH and National Health Care for the Homeless Council mourn the people we’ve lost and renew our commitment to a world where housing is a right—not a privilege. Take these actions now to end homelessness: https://tinyurl.com/2p8c6xc5

The Kitsap County Housing and Homelessness Division is hiring! We are adding a new position to our small but mighty team – a Grant Program Analyst to help us manage the increasing number of homeless and housing grant funding coming to Kitsap County. Do you want to help make homelessness rare, brief, and one-time in Kitsap County? Do you thrive on creative problem-solving and continuous learning in a fast-paced environment? Do you have experience with managing government grants – especially ones in the area of housing and homelessness? Do you enjoy working with community non-profit partners to support a robust homeless crisis response system? Does developing grant program policies and procedures, providing technical assistance to sub-contractors, and ensuring the most effective use of public funds sound appealing to you? Want to make a real difference in your community? If so, you might be a great fit for our Division! We are looking for just the right person, so please help spread the word to anyone who would be interested.

https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/kitsap/jobs/3352417/housing-and-homelessness-program-analyst?page=2&pagetype=jobOpportunitiesJobs

Job Opportunities | KITSAP COUNTY Welcome to Kitsap County's Jobs page!                Job postings listed here require an online application. Click on the job title you are interested in then click on the "Apply" link. If this is the first time you are applying using our online process, you will need to create a new ...