The YWCA says its emergency shelter is seeing a significant uptick in need as the only shelter operating year-round in south Snohomish County.
For more than 20 years, the organization’s Pathways for Women program has been a place where single women and mothers with children can find refuge during a time of crisis. At their Lynnwood location, they provide temporary housing and services for women experiencing homelessness or fleeing domestic violence.
In her 10 years with the organization, YWCA regional director of housing services Kresha Green has seen it all.
“At the YWCA, we work on helping those that are in the mix of different barriers, so it could be unemployment, underemployment, gender-based violence, mental and physical health challenges, as well as substance-use disorders. So that’s where we come into play to help those families. The need is high,” Green said.
Green says that at their site off 208th Street SW are 13 units, five of which are permanent housing. The waitlist to get in can be three to six months or longer.
A worsening divide
“There is a greater divide between those that have and have not. And that has not changed, if not gotten worse, in the past 20 years,” Green explained.
Green says the lack of affordable housing and high food costs have exacerbated the need in the area.
She says some Pathway clients are working poor, who have jobs but whose wages aren’t enough to cover the cost of living.
“The fair market rate for a one-bedroom apartment in this area is $2,269. A person would have to make around $43 an hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment, with a rent vacancy of 4.5%. That alone, that statistic alone is enough to be a burden for a lot of families and individuals,” she said.
YWCA staff say some of the shelter’s most in-demand items by clients include:
Household supplies:
- Pots and pans
- Sheets in twin and full size
- Comforters in twin, full and queen size
- Silverware, plates and dishes
- New toiletries , including shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, full-size body lotion, and body wash
New children’s items:
- Diapers/Pull-Ups
- Bottles
- Formula
Family essentials:
- Day planners/calendars
- Batteries
- Wireless lights
The shelter accepts on-site donations during business hours on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, plus limited hours on Wednesdays. To learn more about Pathways, visit ywcaworks.org.
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