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Oak Harbor advisory board discusses mayor's Pathways/Stability task force and SPIN shelter concerns
Summary
Board members heard an update on a new task force to explore transitional housing and services; SPIN representatives are on the task force and the group is pursuing a feasibility study and potential grant funding.
Chair Paul said the mayor established a Pathways/Stability task force after PCAB members toured Burlington’s First Step Center and requested local study of transitional housing options. The first task-force meeting was a “get to know you” session, and the next meeting was scheduled for April 4, Chair Paul said.
The nut graf: the task force is an exploratory, multi-stakeholder group that will examine whether Oak Harbor can host transitional or stabilization services and how those services should be sited and funded. Members include SPIN representatives, Island County Human Services invitations and City representation; the group has applied for grant funding to support a feasibility study and remains awaiting results.
Selick said the city historically has taken a limited role in siting social services and that Island County typically channels funds to nonprofits to provide shelter; that arrangement, he and other board members said, has left the city with limited influence over where services end up. SPIN — the organization operating a highly visible shelter downtown — has participated in task-force meetings and, Selick said, is open to installing a fence at its property to address some community concerns.
The board discussed the difficult trade-offs facing small, rural jurisdictions: county-run or county-funded services may be located in high-traffic downtown areas that residents find disruptive, yet county responsibility for service provision and nonprofit leases constrain municipal options. Selick said a feasibility study funded by a grant would examine “what type of services our community could support and where should it be located.”
Ending: The task force will continue meetings and pursue grant funding for a feasibility study; PCAB members asked to be engaged and to be notified of the next meeting.
