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Cowlitz County proclaims February teen dating violence awareness month and approves $150,000 shelter contract
Summary
The Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners declared February 2025 Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month and approved a one-year, $150,000 contract with Emergency Support Shelter for shelter operations, including a $50,000 match tied to private donations; funding comes from document-recording fees.
The Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners on a voice vote designated February 2025 as Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month and approved a one-year, $150,000 contract with Emergency Support Shelter to support shelter operations for people fleeing domestic violence.
The proclamation, read at the start of the meeting, recognizes the prevalence of dating violence among adolescents and “encourages all schools and community organizations” to participate in awareness activities. An advocate from Emergency Support Shelter told commissioners the agency was established in 1978 and now offers “emergency shelter for survivors of domestic violence and their children, free and confidential, domestic violence advocacy, legal advocacy, and support for victims of crime.” She added, “Teen dating violence awareness month aims to educate young people on the prevalence of dating violence and how they can prevent it.”
The board moved later in the meeting to approve a one-year contract for shelter operations with Emergency Support Shelter totaling $150,000. Gina James, director of Health and Human Services, said the contract provides $100,000 for basic shelter operations and includes a $50,000 county match that is payable when the shelter receives private donations. James said the funds for the contract come from a portion of the county’s document-recording fees that state law designates for housing and homeless services; she said the percentage is set in statute but did not quote the code and that she would check the exact percentage.
James described the shelter’s capacity and recent usage: the shelter can house up to eight families at a time; in 2024 the shelter served “over a hundred individuals” comprising about 61 households. She said typical short-term stays are up to 90 days and estimated a rough per-family, 90-day cost of about $1,500, noting families’ needs vary. For this contract the county allows up to 10% for administrative costs.
Commissioners asked how the proclamation and contract affect daily services. The shelter advocate said the agency does year-round prevention and education work but that the proclamation brings broader visibility and helps them reach more people. The advocate described recent activities tied to the awareness month, saying staff visited several middle and high schools to run interactive tabling events, pledges, and peer-led programs teaching “what healthy relationships look like.”
Board members asked about program metrics and oversight. James said the shelter submits quarterly reports to the county and that the Phoenix House and similar programs use “self-sufficiency plans” to track progress for residents; she said the state monitors some housing projects more closely when the state funds housing units directly but that the Phoenix House contract is a “services-only” project, which receives less direct state oversight.
The motion to approve the shelter contract passed on a voice vote. Commissioners also approved the proclamation by voice vote earlier in the meeting.
The board and staff said they will provide additional details and data—such as the exact statute percentage for document-recording fees and administrative-cost figures—if commissioners request them at future briefings or work sessions.
