HomeMy WebLinkAboutShelter Coalition 061025Shelter Coalition Meeting
June 10, 2025
Present: Greg Brotherton - facilitator, Julia Cochrane - scribe, Bayside Housing - Gary Kiester, James Holthaus and Trevor Breland, David E., Apple Martine - Health Dept., Peggy Webster
- Olycap, Dove House representative.
American Legion Shelter Contract status: Housing Fund Board found 600,000 awarded to Olycap at the last RFP - reevaluated and allowed us to fund Bayside shelter through 12/31/25, Dove
House’s request and what Olycap needed. Waiting for the American Legion to sign an amended contract that would extend it to 12/31/25 with a possible extension till April 30, 2026. It
will come before the BOCC in a week or two. Greg is confident that the amended contract will be signed.
Shelter - a couple of vets and a couple of elderly are moving into housing. There are about 30 people staying there at this time. There is desperate need for people to provide dinners
at the shelter. Contact Julia willowtree@olypen.com if you want to engage and don’t know how. Or sign up here.
Conversation about violence prevention at shelter in light of the stabbing at the Gospel Mission in San Diego. Gary - they are about to transport the shelter guests to the JC Mash Health
clinic for mental health care. It is part of the contract that they don’t have any weapons. The guests let staff know if there is a weapon on someone. When people are angry etc. they
are escorted outside the shelter to calm down. It is dealt with by staff. Looking into non-lethal defense, and panic button that would alert the police. Apple - has an inventory of
safe firearm locking devices available for free. They are from a grant through Seattle's Children Hospital. Trevor expresses concern about the kitchen knives. Julia suggests reducing
the amount of knives.
Apple - germs and infections in the shelter. The health dept is willing to support the shelter with masks, hand sanitizers, and test kits. Public Health is not a monitor of infection
control at congregant settings. What they do have - all the clinical providers must tell the Health Dept when they see positive tests for infectious disease in congregant settings.
They also do contact tracing. This only works when someone is tested through a clinic. The health dept will bring any mitigation resources to the shelters. The Health Dept. does not
have an isolated room that is rentable when people need isolation - it is something they are working on.
Protocol - when someone tested positive through a clinic public health was notified. As covid became more endemic and people tested at home there was not reporting or tracking. Health
Dept. still has free test kits.
Shelter talks to people who are sick. They take their temperature and offer tests. Shelter needs new tests. And if they have CoVid they can get an isolated room or reach out to the Help
Now Fund (Julia). There is also rsv and pneumonia people should go to clinics to get diagnosed.
JC Mash - may not be part of the system yet, or they may not be doing this level of testing. We hope to have a fuller report on this at our next meeting. Trevor is working hard at connecting
people with mental health doctor at JC Mash.
Dove House - conversation about a specific client.
Peggy - Olycap - Caswell Brown 2 - PUD Building electrician and plumber are there - should be open next week. Contractor can break ground on the sanitation building next 2 weeks
CB3 - 3 shelters delivered - 5 more by June 30th.
Pre approval from Commerce has happened. And they are now working on the budget.
Cooling / Fresh AIr Shelter - Apple - Health Dept - has funding for staffing during the summer to get people into a cooling or fresh air center. Lara G-T and Apple are working on that.
Will follow up at the next meeting. Lara will be present.
Next Meetings:
June 24th - next meeting.
July 8th - will be cancelled, people are encouraged to be at the Housing Task Force.
Julia Cochrane, just julia
LBTQ+ - reclaim your alphabet!
willowtree@olypen.com
PO Box 1654
Port Townsend, WA 98368
(360) 821-1926 cell
http://tinyurl.com/4mtex2tx for donations to the Winter Welcoming Center
https://www.jeffersoninterfaithaction.org/wwc
Territories of the nəxʷsƛ̕áy̕əm̕ (Klallam), & t͡ʃə́mqəm (Chemakum) peoples