Published October 2004

Cocoon House a haven for homeless teens
Agency’s programs provide continuum of service
for troubled youths, their families

By Kimberly Hilden
SCBJ Assistant Editor

In Cocoon House, Snohomish County’s homeless teen-agers have a resource of their very own, whether they need a bed to sleep in, someone to turn to or a stable environment to start their life anew.

The nonprofit agency, which began in 1991 as an eight-bed emergency shelter in Everett, has over the years grown to include:

• A 20-bed transitional housing facility.
• Teen Advocates, a program to connect homeless teens with youth services.
• Project SAFE, a program aimed at helping parents who are experiencing difficulty with their teens.
• The Way Out, a behavioral workshop in which teens and their parents work together to communicate and understand personal differences.

Together, the programs provide a continuum of service to help support and guide troubled teens and their families — service that is increasingly in demand, said Executive Director Lee Trevithick.

Snohomish County Business Journal file photo Cocoon House is in the midst of a capital campaign to fund an expansion of its teen housing services. With a goal of $4.2 million, the nonprofit organization had raised $3.5 million by mid-2004, said Development Director Petrina Lin, shown here with Executive Director Lee Trevithick outside Cocoon House’s transitional-housing facility in Everett.

For the fiscal year ending in June, Cocoon House’s emergency shelter was used by 135 youths for a total of 1,573 bed-nights. During that time, the agency’s transitional housing program provided 4,603 bed-nights to 47 teens, offering mental health, drug and alcohol counseling; case management; and life-skills training.

Of those participating in the transitional program, 87 percent exited the program to a positive housing environment, such as an independent-living situation, another transitional supportive program or moving in with family members, Development Director Petrina Lin said.

“It’s our highest success rate ever, so we’re really proud about that,” she said.

But over the past few years, more than 100 teens have been turned away due to lack of space, an “unconscionable” act that, in 2002, spurred Cocoon House to action, Trevithick said.

At that time, the organization initiated the Building Dreams capital campaign, an effort to raise funds to develop two additional shelters, one for north county and one for east county; renovate existing facilities; upgrade technology systems; develop new programs; and expand the organization’s endowment fund to help sustain future operations.

By mid-2004, the campaign had raised $3.5 million, with donations coming from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Washington Mutual Foundation, EverTrust Bank, the Fluke Foundation, The Everett Clinic Foundation, the Tulalip Tribes Charitable Fund, and the South Everett Mukilteo Rotary Club, among others.

The Gates Foundation pledge included an initial gift of $250,000 plus $500,000 more if Cocoon House was able to raise $2.25 million by April 30, 2004.

It was a challenge that served as a catalyst for community support Trevithick said.

“We were determined to meet this challenge. We reached out to the community for support and the community embraced this project. It’s a great feeling,” he said of meeting the foundation benchmark.

In July, Cocoon House’s board of directors approved increasing the capital campaign goal from $3.6 million to $4.2 million to take into account recent construction estimates.

Along with the funds raised, the organization will be receiving in-kind help from the Master Builders Care Foundation, a charitable arm of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, which will be donating materials and labor for the new shelter.

Already, a site has been selected for north county, to be located just south of downtown Arlington, Lin said. “We don’t have a site in east county yet. Our plan was to develop one shelter first and have it open.”

“We would like to start construction early next year,” she added.

For more information on Cocoon House, call 425-259-3342 or go online to www.cocoonhouse.org.

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