Human Services
Director: Jennifer Johnson
HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESSPresentation for CDBG General Purpose application to continue Homeownership Assistance Program Citizenship Participation Handouts More and more Skagit County residents say local housing issues have reached a crisis state. Purchasing a home is out of reach for many families while monthly rents stretch household budgets. The local homeless population is increasing. There is a shortfall in area housing for people with a wide range of incomes. Many people who were once financially comfortable now struggle – taking money away from basics in order to keep a roof over their heads. Skagit County Rental Assistance Program Skagit County has received $8.9 million in funding through the Washington State Department of Commerce and funded by Treasury Rent Assistance Program (T-RAP). The intention of this emergency funding is to prevent eviction for households who have been financially impacted by the COVID pandemic. Low income households living in Skagit County can receive funds to cover past due, current, and future rent as well as past-due and current due utility bills. Funding is available for either renters or landlords who have lost income due to COVID-19 and are struggling to pay or collect rent. An application for rental assistance may be submitted by either an eligible household or by a landlord on behalf of an eligible household. The county has partnered with a number of agencies to administer funds. Partner agencies will begin accepting applications on Monday, April 5th. Additional information on eligibility and requirements and how to apply can be found here: SKAGIT COUNTY HOMELESS CRISIS RESPONSE SYSTEM Skagit County seeks applications, no later than 3:00pm on February 12th, 2021, from qualified parties experienced in implementing projects to provide homeless crisis response services. Skagit County HOME Consortium 2021 Action Plan Skagit County, as Lead Agency for the Skagit County HOME Consortium, is undertaking the planning process leading to the submission of the 2021 Annual Action Plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). [more information] Skagit County 2019 Homeless Housing Plan The vision for the 2019 Homeless Housing Plan is that homelessness in Skagit County is prevented, and in cases when it does occur, that it is a brief, rare and one-time experience. Its purpose is to make clear the action plan of the homeless crisis response system over the next five years and to guide funding decisions on behalf of the County. The plan was guided by a task force of community members and developed by assessing data collected through surveys, community meetings, focus groups, individual interviews, state specific tools and support from the Washington State Department of Commerce and the Technical Assistance Collective (TAC). Objectives for Skagit County’s plan were determined by Commerce’s Local Plan Guidelines. If you would like to provide comments or have questions, email or call Sarah Hinman at sarahh@co.skagit.wa.us or 360-416-1507. Housing and Homelessness: Skagit County Public Health partners with local cities and nonprofits to provide humanitarian response, emergency shelters, rental assistance and supportive services with the goal of improving access to housing and reducing homelessness [flyer]
Measuring Local Homelessness & Our Response Reports:
Housing Summit documents and presentations:
Building a Skagit County Housing Affordability Strategy Homelessness
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