Gov. Jay Inslee Visits Lewis County’s Severe Weather Shelter

Gov. Jay Inslee, during his Thursday tour of the Hub City Mission Severe Weather Shelter at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds identified multiple challenges in mitigating the homelessness epidemic, such as providing adequate surplus housing for down-and-out individuals and improving the quality of mental healthcare services.

Inslee spoke to a small gathering of media members on earlier discussions with the Board of County Commissioners about his commitment to “maintain the flexibility” of local programs to help the homeless treat substance abuse and the lack of job training, among other areas of need. 

The governor said a number of homeless people are actively working, but are unable to afford rent, saying stereotypes of the homeless people — for example, that they are unwilling to work or drug addicted — are unfortunate. 

“Since I’ve been governor, every year we’ve put in an additional $175 million into our budget. So, we’ve done a lot of significant increasing in the last several years of our services, but the demand has exceeded that increase,” he said. “The reasons are complex … the fact (is) that 130,000 people are moving into this state and we’re not building adequate housing for them. So, they’re driving up rents and every time the rents go up $100, the homelessness goes up because wages are not going up as fast as rents.” 

In addition, Inslee made a case for increasing housing density through zoning reform, saying neither he nor any other elected official has the capacity of “building more acreage.”  

Inslee also discussed the prospect of turning underutilized public properties into short or long-term housing for the homeless, saying state agencies are in the process of finding available real estate. However, he suggested that all levels of government and nonprofits need to chip in and lend their assistance as well. 

“We don’t (have) all the responses yet. I wish I could tell you right now there’s some magic spot that I could point to — we haven’t identified that yet,” he said. 

Inslee also recounted how the last recession — from December 2007 through June 2009— “gutted” many of the programs and services for mental illness.

He advocated for equipping more sheriffs and police chiefs throughout the state with professional mental health care services to take the burden of diagnosing individuals off the shoulders of law enforcement. That could keep the mentally ill out a county jail’s “revolving door.” 

Inslee’s wife, Trudi, also discussed initiatives to provide schools with more state mental health services to help diagnose mental issues in students at an early age. 

{{tncms-inline content="<p class="p1"><span class="s1">By The Chronicle</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">Homeless individuals in search of a meal and warm bed as evening temperatures continue to dip into the 30s can check into the Hub City Mission Severe Weather Shelter, which officially opened Friday at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds, located at 2555 N. National Ave. in Chehalis.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">The facility will be open when temperatures fall below 38 degrees through the end of March, said Bethel Church Associate Pastor Josh Gering, director of Bethel Church’s Hub City Mission.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">More than 100 volunteers are expected to contribute their services to the shelter, which will offer showers, a light meal and an evening and morning snack. Those who stay the night are offered a bus pass in the morning.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">Last year’s weather conditions— which are monitored through the Weather Channel app— led to the shelter being in operation for 101 nights over a period of six months.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">Gering told The Chronicle that he’ll typically need between 100 and 120 volunteers each year in order to keep the shelter in operation.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">“If you’re concerned about your neighbors who are sleeping out in the cold, in severe weather, come and help us shelter people,” said Gering. “You can not only give them a place to stay, but give them a warm smile and warm friendship as well.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">Currently, the shelter has a capacity of 49 that Gering says “can be expanded” if needed.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p>" id="591d7621-9dd5-476a-a3ad-25b1fa6bac88" style-type="info" title="Severe Weather Shelter Opens Its Doors at Fairgrounds Starting Friday" type="relcontent"}}