Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Behavioral Health Homelessness topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Skagit County reports winter shelter use and steps on behavioral health: crisis team staffing, Gelada alerts and supportive housing
Summary
Public health and county staff reported homeless services data and behavioral health work: winter shelters provided several thousand bed nights, the crisis response team is hiring clinicians to expand coverage, Gelada now alerts co‑responders to overdoses and case conferencing has been used to fill supportive housing vacancies.
Skagit County public health and partner agencies reported recent data on homeless services and described steps the county is taking to expand behavioral‑health crisis response and housing supports.
Sarah Vogt, representing Welcome Home Skagit, told commissioners the day shelter saw 8,850 uses by 569 unduplicated individuals in the latest reporting year and the night shelter provided 2,104 bed nights to 204 unduplicated individuals. Welcome Home’s safe parking program reported 2,358 uses by 36 unduplicated individuals. Vogt also said care‑coordination services at the day shelter assisted clients with housing applications, identification, employment, medical and behavioral health referrals.
Public Health’s KFA 3 lead said the crisis response team (CRT) has added one mental‑health clinician and is close to filling two additional clinician positions; once hired the CRT will be staffed seven days a week from 6 a.m. to midnight with on‑call coverage overnight. The county also added a new circumstance code to improve tracking of 9‑1‑1 calls involving behavioral health and is working with Skagit 9‑1‑1 to add radio‑logable codes for easier search and analysis.
Public Health staff said they improved Gelada functionality so that when emergency medical services respond to an overdose, Gelada will automatically alert co‑responders in near real time so outreach providers can follow up quickly. Staff framed that change as an important step to connect overdose survivors to services before they become lost to follow‑up.
On homelessness, staff reported winter shelter totals and that the county’s coordinated entry and case‑conferencing pilot — first used with Martha’s Place permanent supportive housing — helped prioritize high‑need households and fill vacancies more rapidly. Volunteers of America’s housing referral coordinator now assists rapid placement and coordinates across agencies. Public Health summarized winter shelter bed‑night counts: First Steps Center averaged 22 people per night for a multi‑month opening and Welcome Home Skagit averaged 16 per night and operated a day center that served about 50 people daily; Family Promise and East County severe‑weather shelter also reported usage numbers.
KFA 3 staff also said they continue to advocate with other counties and the state on Medicaid reimbursement rates and other funding mechanisms critical to maintaining behavioral‑health provider networks.
Commissioners thanked staff and community providers and asked for further demographic breakdowns of shelter users; Welcome Home said it could provide age‑group data to commissioners on request.
