Covington staff describe 2024 human services support, mobile mental-health clinic and $27,000 in home-repair grants

A staff member said Covington expanded social-support services in 2024, allocating funds to 35 local agencies that provided feeding programs, housing support, emergency shelter, domestic violence services and other assistance to residents in need.

The staff member said one ongoing partnership is with Valley Cities, which operated a mobile clinic offering mental-health services twice monthly at City Hall in 2024 and provided screenings and referrals to community members. The city also worked with Central Washington University’s law and justice sociology research team on a comprehensive human-services assessment in 2024 to identify service priorities.

City community care staff regularly coordinated with police, the staff member said, and police “call in our specialist” when officers encounter residents needing services. According to the staff member, the specialist provides individualized support that can include shelter placement, referral to drug treatment, or assistance with gas or food.

The city’s minor home repair program distributed more than $27,000 in 2024 to help low-income residents pay for repairs such as water heaters, roof leaks and other qualifying items, the staff member said. The city also processed utility tax rebates for low-income seniors and residents with disabilities, though the staff member did not specify exact counts of recipients or the rebate total.

The staff member said the city intends to continue the Valley Cities mobile clinic partnership in the current year and to use the 2024 human-services assessment to guide priorities and service delivery, but no formal motion or funding decision was presented in the provided remarks.