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Construction crews are about halfway done with renovations at the New Start centers in Edmonds and Everett.
Snohomish County staff are in the process of working on logistics with the site operators, County Communications Director Kari Bray said. YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish will operate the Edmonds New Start Center while the Salvation Army will operate the Everett facility.
The New Start centers will provide emergency bridge housing for people experiencing homelessness. The centers will come with medical and mental health assistance, job resources and other services.
The Edmonds New Start Center at 22127 Highway 99 used to be America’s Best Value Inn. The Everett New Start Center at 1602 S.E. Everett Mall Way used to be Days Inn.
The Edmonds New Start Center will have 48 units, and the Everett New Start Center will have 73 units. The plan is to open both centers before the weather gets cold.
Bray said the county will have a clearer picture for the opening date around the time the construction phase is finished.
“We’ll have more outreach later this year and hope to welcome folks to see the completed centers as we get closer to opening this winter,” Bray said.
The total budget for the New Start centers is about $37 million, and it is paid by federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and money collected from the county’s 0.1% affordable housing sales tax.
Bray said the county’s Human Services staff are working with the City of Edmonds staff for the Edmonds New Start Center. The YWCA is drafting a management plan, and city staff are expected to review the management plan draft soon, she said.
City of Edmonds spokesperson Natasha Ryan said city staff send updates to the City Council as they become available, and that those updates are mostly related to construction.
The county issued a neighborhood notification about YWCA being the site operator in early May via email, Bray said. She added that she isn’t aware of any additional notifications in writing after that.
“Updates have been provided in presentations to local leaders and partners, such as one in late July for Snohomish County Tomorrow (SCT),” Bray said.
Snohomish County Tomorrow is a “cooperative and collaborative public inter-jurisdictional forum consisting of representatives from the county and nineteen of the cities as well as the Tulalip Tribes,” according to the county’s website.
Edmonds City Councilmember Jenna Nand is a council liaison to Snohomish County Tomorrow. She said she asked county staff if there could be a town hall and tour of the Edmonds New Start Center closer to the starting date.
— By Angelica Relente
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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