Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Recovery Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Poulsbo highlights recovery center and cafe, reports nearly 400 people served and seeks stable funding
Summary
City staff and partner providers reported growth at Poulsbo's Recovery Resource Center and Recovery Cafe, citing service statistics, an existing funding mix of grants and local housing tax dollars, and a proposed $750,000'$800,000 2026 operating budget that city leaders say they will not draw from the general fund.
City staff and partner service providers on Sept. 3 told the Poulsbo City Council that the city-run Recovery Resource Center and newly opened Recovery Cafe are serving several hundred clients and are expanding services, while seeking more stable funding to sustain growth.
Kim (staff member) and operations staff described the center as a walk-in, low-barrier facility open five days a week that connects people to behavioral health, housing and vocational services. City Administrator Rob Gelder told council members that the 2026 operating plan foresees roughly $750,000 to $800,000 for the combined recovery center and cafe, with about 65% expected from outside grants and about 35% coming from a local affordable-housing sales-tax allocation the council has authorized for homelessness prevention and related services.
The presentation included service metrics: since opening in late 2023, staff said the center had helped over 400 unique individuals; about 300 people became repeat members; more than 150 people received help with court obligations; roughly 80 received on-site mental-health case management; and more than 150 were connected to substance-use services, chiefly through tribal and local partners. Those figures were given by staff members during the presentation.
Operations supervisor Carrie Wax described day-to-day work: "Recovery is not the absence of struggle, but it's the presence of courage," she told council. Recovery Cafe coordinator Summer Anderson said the cafe is building community ties and offered a concrete example: members loaned a fellow member money for gas instead of drawing on city resources. Shu Delap, a vocational and group facilitator from AMFM Health Care, described free anger-management and vocational help for clients who otherwise could not afford classes.
Gelder said the city does not plan to use the general fund to support the program; the funding strategy relies largely on grant awards and an allocation from the local affordable-housing sales-tax program that the council has authorized. He noted that the 35% local-share figure reflects the council's prior decision permitting the use of housing tax revenues for homelessness prevention and related services, up to a cap established under state authorization. Staff said the center's partners include Suquamish Wellness Center, AMFM Healthcare Services, Kitsap Homes of Compassion and the Housing Solution Center.
Council members thanked staff and members for the work and asked about client housing outcomes and program costs. Staff said roughly 20% of center users were struggling with homelessness or housing instability and that about 30 people had been housed with center assistance since the center opened. Staff invited council members to participate in a community mural painting event at the cafe and noted the center's phone number for people seeking services: (360) 930-8275.
The council did not take any formal funding vote at the meeting; staff said they will present program costs and budget requests during the forthcoming biennial budget process.
The presentation and discussion underscored city leaders' view that the center is a locally run, accountable service delivery model that pairs enforcement and outreach with on-site services to reduce crises and help people obtain housing and treatment.
