Office of Neighborhoods

Our philosophy is that the communities we serve come first. The Office of Neighborhoods was created to fulfill two goals: 1) engage residents through outreach and events in a collaborative effort to make our neighborhoods safer and 2) identify and connect with our county's unsheltered population to foster long-term relationships and break the cycle of homelessness, behavioral health, and/or substance use disorder in our county.

Homeless and Direct Outreach

The Office of Neighborhoods teams up law enforcement with social workers who go out into the field – literally – to identify, locate, and connect with unsheltered and vulnerable populations in the county. The goal is to foster long-term relationships and break the cycle of homelessness, behavioral health and/or substance use disorder in our county. 


Under the leadership of Sgt. James Chelin, the team includes Law Enforcement Embedded Social Workers (LEESWs) who help unsheltered individuals locate and navigate social and health services. Together, Office of Neighborhoods deputies and police officers and LEESWs with Snohomish County Human Services assist frequent jail utilizers, unsheltered populations, and those struggling with mental and behavioral health to find services they need and lessen the likelihood of re-offending, law enforcement contact, or incarceration.

OON in the field November 2017

Community Outreach

The goal is to expand current crime prevention efforts (such as Neighborhood Watch and National Night Out). Community Outreach also includes:

  • Community Resource Guide - Working with Fire District 1, Snohomish County Human Services, and students from University of Washington Bothell, we created a guide to local social services for first responders. The guide lists existing resources available in the community, including government, non-profit and faith-based programs. By providing police and emergency medical services this information, we can help people find the social services they need, rather than having them rely on emergency services for continued care.
A group of kids standing with a sheriff officer.