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Council approves $12,000 in grants to support cold‑weather shelters; asks for follow‑up and equity across islands
Summary
The council approved $12,000 in document‑recording‑fee grants — $5,000 each to United Way San Juan Island and Orcas Island Community Church, and $2,000 to Lopez Family Resource Center reimbursements — and asked staff and the Housing Advisory Committee to develop parameters, equity guidance and risk mitigation for any expansion.
San Juan County approved a $12,000 package of cold‑weather shelter grants on Dec. 16 after Health & Community Services staff and the Housing Advisory Committee recommended continuing financial support for island shelter operations.
Ryan Page explained two existing cold‑weather shelters operate on Orcas and San Juan islands; Lopez currently lacks a shelter and the county previously reimbursed the Lopez family resource center for motel/hotel placements. Orcas Island Community Church has moved from a weather‑triggered model to nightly operations through mid‑March and asked for additional support to cover increased costs. Page said the county’s homelessness assistance fund (fed in part by document‑recording fee set‑asides and a state contract backfill) can cover modest ongoing support and that $12,000 was recommended for the current season.
Council discussed equity across islands, the need for clear contracting/insurance for more‑frequent shelter operations, and the sustainability of state backfill funds. Council member Paulson supported the $12,000 approval and proposed asking Orcas to present a proposal to the Housing Advisory Committee so the county can assess pilot data and consider any future funding uniformly across islands. The council approved the Housing Advisory Committee's recommendation and directed staff to return with additional information and potential parameters for expanded support.
The grants will be funded from the county’s homelessness assistance fund and related state contract backfill; staff said they will report back with more detail in early 2026 and will seek consistent application parameters across islands if additional funding requests arise.
