HomeMy WebLinkAboutShelter Coalition Meeting 021026Shelter Coalition Meeting
February 10, 2026
Present: Greg Brotherton - facilitator, Julia Cochrane - scribe, Apple Martine - Health Dept., Trevor Breland - Bayside shelter, Bill Volmut - Bayside, Renata - city, Anya - Health Dept.
, Peggy Webster, Melissa Jordan - LE
Congregate shelter construction - filed with Commerce next week - review done in a month. Closing draw - modular deposit, then the site contractor can begin with septic and water, the
big unknown is when they will arrive on the contractors schedule for the modules. Then the rest will get planned. And they will need to get L&I approval which takes 10 weeks. Time line
is at the end of 2026.
Sanitation building is open and running. Concrete benign poured for PUD building and ramp.
American Legion Shelter - 40-50 people are being fed. This includes people living in their cars, and couples. QUUF - 1st week of the month, New Life - Last week of the month, EcoVillage
- Kees Kolff, Thomas Olson - Chief of PT Police, Ben Cassard - Winter Welcoming Center. Need Blankets, unknown
Struggling to get ahold of Bob at American legion re 6 month extension to the end of 2026
Welcoming Center - 35 people a day, and this is a significant increase. Need has increased, people dealing with mental health, SUD, DV. Help from Bayside, Health Dept. and Olycap has
been great.
Clogged sewer - our bathrooms are shut down. Reason being evaluated. And we are bringing in water for coffee etc.
Lots of community donations etc.
Public Bathrooms - Kah Tai bathrooms are open after 20 years for limited hours. Julia advocates for bathrooms to be open at 24 hours. Chief Olsen -
there are not 24/7 bathrooms in Port Townsend. Olsen guesses that the bathrooms are locked at 8-10 PM and open in the morning. Cotton Building bathrooms open 8 - 8. Kah Tai also open
from 8 AM - 8 PM
Opiod settlement RFP - Apple the amount $200,000 for this next fiscal year - July1, 26 to June 30, 27. Public RFP. Grant due 2-23. The process is like the 1/10 of 1% funds. This is
the first round. BHAC meeting later today - will be talking about the scoring rubic. $150,000 was kept by the county for existing abatement strategies - harm reduction team, navigators,
etc. Tech Assistance Q&A last week - the recording is on the Behavioral Health Committee page. Google Jefferson County WA BHAC. And you will find an unedited recording. Or email Apple
at the Health Dept. Greg feels that under $10,000 is onerous to manage the administration of. There is money for the Sheriff’s navigator program. These monies have been transferred
to the General Fund but not distributed further - this will be determined sometime in February at a BOCC meeting. There is a WA MOU. The Sheriffs Navigator and the Health Dept’s Harm
Reduction team. There will be other rounds of Opiod Settlement funds. All the settlements have a life span and the amount will diminish over time. There are still some unsettled lawsuits.
There is a lot that we do not know. Renata thinking about the Urban Rest Stop or keeping a public bathroom open 24 hours a day. These items both fit with the abatement strategies.
5 Year Plan - can be found by googling Housing Fund Board Jefferson County WA
https://jeffersoncountypublichealth.org/DocumentCenter/View/23792/2025-2030-Homeless-Housing-Plan?bidId=
Next Meeting 2/24 at 11:15
https://teams.live.com/meet/9370097787307?p=nBrSKUvxy7NA82W6Qq
Julia Cochrane, just julia
LBTQ+ - reclaim your alphabet!
willowtree@olypen.com