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Local advocates urge city support for youth transitional housing, seek letter of support
Summary
Speakers from Youth Connection and New Horizon Communities described local youth homelessness services, recent openings of transitional units and requested a city letter of support for grant funding while urging a compassionate, housing-first response to street homelessness.
Speakers during public comment on Aug. 19 asked the Shelton City Council to support local programs that serve young people experiencing homelessness and urged the city to adopt a housing-first approach to unsheltered people.
Annie Havens, who said she serves with Youth Connection, told the council the organization opened its first youth transitional housing home this month with three units and is remodeling to provide 12 transitional housing units total. Havens said Youth Connection also is opening a coffee cafe and expanding a programmed drop-in center. "In 2024, 86 percent of our participants successfully exited into permanent housing," she said, and she asked the council for a letter of support for additional funding to complete the housing project.
Colleen Carmichael, executive director of New Horizon Communities, appealed to the council for a change in public response to street homelessness, arguing the community often prioritizes removal of camps over services. "Homeless people are not the guilty ones. The community that ignores them is," Carmichael said, urging city leaders to back housing and services rather than criminalization.
Both speakers emphasized local outcomes and costs: Havens cited visitation numbers at the organization's centers and service metrics while Carmichael framed homelessness as a community responsibility and urged elected officials to act.
Ending: Both presenters asked the council to consider the role of city support, with Havens explicitly requesting a letter of support for a grant application and Carmichael urging broader policy and humane treatment of people experiencing homelessness.
