Monroe releases 2024 Human Services annual report; staff say programs helped hundreds with housing, crisis response and counseling

Monroe City staff on Tuesday presented the 2024 Human Services Annual Report, outlining contracted programs that together helped hundreds of residents with housing placements, crisis response and mental-health services.

Caitlin Harrigan, Human Services staff, told the City Council the department, a two-person team, secured grant funds, managed new peer support and case-management positions and plans a Community Needs Assessment to guide 2025–26 funding and services. “These positions helped over 300 people and facilitated more than 650 connections to supportive services,” Harrigan said, summarizing the year’s results.

The report presented results for multiple contracted programs. A social-worker contract renewed in 2024 was credited with facilitating permanent housing for 25 Monroe residents, Harrigan said. The Volunteers of America Western Washington co-responder recorded 278 crisis-call responses and assisted 54 people. New peer support and case-management specialists, which began in January 2024, helped over 300 people, produced more than 650 service connections, assisted 19 veterans, helped 77 people obtain permanent housing and facilitated temporary housing for about 75 additional clients, Harrigan said.

Councillors pressed staff about program capacity and funding. Councilmember Tony Fisher asked about motel availability for the Emergency Hotel Voucher Program; Harrigan said the program is on hold because it has “run out of funding” and that staff will update the council at a future study session. She added that if leftover contract funds remain they will consider internal city management of remaining services.

Take the Next Step, the counseling provider funded with American Rescue Plan (ARP) and county matching dollars and bolstered by a $20,000 council allocation in 2024, provided more than 1,000 therapy sessions to 15 clients in 2024; Harrigan said about 60 percent of those referrals came from Monroe School District staff. Rental assistance provided under SHB 1406, contracted with Take the Next Step as a three‑year contract, supported 33 households in 2024 with 41 full or partial rent payments, the report says.

Harrigan said the city allocated $30,000 of opioid-settlement funds late in 2024 to the Scholarship Bed program; with that funding the program provided two patients seven-day detox stays each. Several shelter and wraparound grantees — St. Vincent de Paul, Monroe Gospel Women’s Mission and Cocoon House — together helped 32 households achieve permanent housing in 2024 and reported bed‑night and family‑support outcomes in the written packet.

Staff acknowledged several operational challenges. Harrigan said a change in lead-agency personnel and delayed reporting contributed to a surprise late in the year when a number of participants were exited from the hotel‑voucher program for no longer meeting residency criteria after contract criteria changed. She said reporting from the lead agency arrived in December and that the city learned lessons about maintaining closer contact with contracted lead agencies.

Councilmember Scarborough asked whether the lack of funds could be increasing visible homelessness; Harrigan said the hotel‑voucher and several shelter programs had reached the end of their funding cycles or dates and that gaps now exist while staff pursue new funding. Councilmember Fulcher and others raised pets as a barrier to shelter entry; Harrigan said local partners such as Beck’s Place help with pet fostering but noted capacity limits.

Nut graf: The report shows the city-supported service network produced measurable housing and crisis-response outcomes in 2024 but also flagged funding shortfalls and contract-management problems that left some emergency shelter services paused. Councilmembers asked staff for follow-ups on motel-voucher availability, contract closeout and options for managing any remaining funds.

Supporting details: the report and presentation reference SHB 1406 (rental payment assistance), ARP funding, Snohomish County matching funds and opioid-settlement funds used in 2024. The written annual report (packet pages cited in the presentation) includes program summaries and client success stories; Harrigan pointed the council to pages 6, 12, 15, 19, 21 and 24–25 for details.

Staff next steps cited in the presentation included conducting an updated Community Needs Assessment to inform sustainable funding requests and a planned study-session update on emergency-hotel-voucher funding. Harrigan and Rachel Adams, Human Services staff, closed by inviting council questions and by thanking partner agencies and the police department for coordination.