ISLAND COUNTY: County to see drop in funds to fight homelessness
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Commissioners Jill Johnson (R-Oak Harbor), Janet St. Clair (D-Camano Island), and Melanie Bacon (D-Langley)
Sam Fletcher reports from the Island County Commissioners work session of Wed., Jan. 15, 2025 for the Whidbey News-Times.
The state is mandating that Island County, along with other counties and municipalities, create a five-year plan to address low-income housing needs.
But at the same time, the county will have less money than usual to support its goals of supporting affordable housing and reducing homelessness.
In 2021, the county received over $1 million in document reporting fees that it used to fund homelessness services and housing. In 2024, the county received just $447,000. The decrease is due to fewer real estate transactions.
In addition, the state is cutting 20% of the consolidated homeless grant. The county will receive $2.7 million for two years compared to the old deal of $3.5 million.
This won’t mean a funding cut across the board, Island County Commissioner Jill Johnson said. Some services will likely get full funding, and some will get harsher cuts.
Slide from the Human Services Department presentation on changes to homeless housing plan requirements.
Johnson said Island County should be a “hard no” on the [lack-of-engagement] condition.
“I choose to not go to jail by not breaking the law,” she said. “I choose to keep my job by not behaving in unethical ways. I choose good behavior to get good outcomes. I’m an absolute no on lack of engagement.”
Commissioner Melanie Bacon said she would support people who were not engaged if the county had unlimited resources, but it doesn’t.
Commissioner Janet St. Clair said the rule is designed for a larger, urban area.
Bacon said the Los Angeles fires may displace people with ties to this area and compound the issue of homelessness and affordable housing.
…Johnson agreed with taking the lens of dignity, but she disagreed with catering plans based on individual preference.
“I literally can’t even process that conversation,” she said. “You know what I would like to do? I would like to live in a mansion. I’d like to have a swimming pool and a sauna. I’d also like to have a maid. You know what I don’t have? Any of those things. Why? Because I can’t afford those things, so I don’t get those things. I don’t get what I choose. I get what I can have, and I don’t want a mentality of people who are like, ‘I want something else.’”
