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The atmospheric river that soaked Washington state last month had prompted Snohomish County to open its cold weather shelters, which Galina Volchkova said is new.
“We’ve been doing cold weather shelters for several years … but with the last three years, I do not remember opening besides the 34 degrees activation,” Volchkova said.
Volchkova is the housing services executive director for Volunteers of America Western Washington (VOAWW). The county contracts with community-based organizations, including VOAWW, to operate cold weather shelters overnight.
Cold weather shelters typically run between November and March. They open when overnight temperatures are expected to be 34 degrees or lower. County Public Information Officer Mohamed Bughrara said the decision to activate shelters could be made 24 hours in advance.
“Many other jurisdictions outside of Snohomish County have thresholds at or near 32 degrees,” Bughrara said. “Snohomish County’s criteria of 34 degrees is among the higher temperature thresholds.”
VOAWW operates the South County Cold Weather Shelter at Maple Park Church in Lynnwood. When flood watch alerts poured in last month, Volchkova said VOAWW and the county mutually agreed to open the shelters.
“In South County, our team lead … reported there’s one lady that had her tent flooded by the rain,” Volchkova said. “She was so happy that we opened. She needed waterproof shoes, and we luckily had a pair of boots to offer her.”
The county recently modified its contract with VOAWW so that shelters open not only for cold weather but also for other extreme weather such as heat, smoke or severe weather events.
“The contracts will be for 60-70 nights of extreme weather depending on location,” Bughrara said. “If the weather cooperates, that should allow for 50 nights of cold weather shelter and up to 20 nights for things like extreme heat and smoke.”
Bughrara said some shelters were open 70 nights for cold weather in 2021-22, so the county can’t say with certainty how many nights would be allocated for cold weather and other weather events.
Volunteer organizations and faith communities used to run cold weather shelters. Bughrara said volunteers at a community meal started the South County Cold Weather Shelter over a decade ago after they saw guests who had experienced cold exposure.
Bughrara said the county began funding cold weather shelters between 2017-19, depending on the location. The county uses the same funding source for temporary weather shelters, year-round shelters and other homeless services.
“The investments in extreme weather shelters are critical and lifesaving, as are investments in year-round homeless services, which tend to have a greater impact in helping people out of homelessness and into more stable long-term housing,” Bughrara said.
Everett Gospel Mission, another organization the county contracts with, is working on a new facility that will provide year-round shelter beds with surge capacity to add beds during severe weather events. This “invests in both long-term and severe weather shelter capacity,” Bughrara said.
More information on the Snohomish County Cold Weather Shelters and how to volunteer can be found here.
Angelica Relente is a Murrow News Fellow covering housing and related issues in South Snohomish County for the My Neighborhood News Network. Contact her at angelica@myedmondsnews.com.
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