Published October 2004

With need high, Housing Hope
eyes expansion

“Families are living along the rivers before they show up here,” he said matter-of-factly. “Of course, some sleep in their cars, in motels or on the couches of families, friends and acquaintances, too.”

These were the opening words that Ed Petersen, executive director of Housing Hope, offered to a small group of local business leaders and real estate professionals who assembled this summer to learn more about homelessness in Snohomish County.

I’ll admit that the image I had of homelessness before his statement was of the guy with a cardboard sign at the freeway off-ramp or someone asking for change outside the grocery store. Picturing a single mother with kids living along the Snohomish, Stillaguamish or Skykomish rivers seems like something from the days of The Depression, not today.

But it’s very real, unfortunately.

What many of the homeless lack, said Petersen, are some of the essential skills that the rest of us take for granted in making it through our day-to-day lives.

For some, coping mechanisms get tripped up in a childhood spent dealing with abuse in the house. Later in life, this can manifest into a lack of basic skills, a cycle of lost jobs, domestic violence and other factors that lead to homelessness. For others, the cost of safe, decent housing outstrips their current earning ability. Homelessness is really a variety of issues, both personal and social, Petersen explained.

Homelessness for many can perhaps better be described as a condition rather than a physical state. Remedying it starts with trust and security. Housing Hope offers both to homeless families by offering affordable housing in a safe and secure environment and essential support, such as a child-care facility focused on the special needs of homeless children.

The agency then builds on this renewed hope through an intensive case management approach, with regular visits held in each client’s new home. The agency’s unique College of Hope program enhances success by teaching appropriate and necessary life skills.

Expectations that residents must meet in order to stay in Housing Hope’s programs include continued progress and maintaining sobriety. Eventually, there’s the gratification that comes from seeing a family “graduate” and move on to self-sufficiency.

Housing Hope has a very high success rate. Over 90 percent of clients who stay with the program become housing independent. The heart-warming success stories are the stuff of which great novels are made.

But success can also lead to greater challenges as Snohomish County’s demand far exceeds Housing Hope’s current capacity. Today, there are hundreds of local families who need emergency shelter and affordable housing, according to Housing Hope, and only 230 owned units, all occupied and with waiting lists that extend months and even years.

Since the agency’s inception in 1987, Housing Hope has expanded to include 14 sites in Everett, Marysville, Lake Stevens, Arlington, Stanwood and, most recently, Sultan. Unfortunately, there also have been record numbers of local homeless families seeking assistance in recent years.

Consequently, the organization spent most of the summer months evaluating how it can build on its success and how the community can help, with the expectation that expansion for Housing Hope is not only possible, but essential to a healthy community. The need is there, obviously, from just a numbers standpoint. But on a very human level, it’s there as well.

“I have a certain fear of the first freeze each year,” offered Petersen, with just enough emotion to remind you he has never forgotten why he was called to the cause. “I see the frost in the morning and wonder how the kids along the rivers are doing in the cold. ... The kids are innocent victims.”

Tom Hoban is CEO of Everett-based Coast Real Estate Services, a property management and real estate advisory company specializing in multi-family and commercial investment properties. He can be contacted by phone at 425-339-3638 or send e-mail to tomhoban@coastmgt.com.

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