Contact: Jackie Anderson
                 Division Manager
                 JackieM.Anderson@snoco.org
                 425-388-3237

Snohomish County Human Services Achieves Coveted Federal Designation

EVERETT, Wash., November 6, 2018 - Snohomish County’s Human Services Department (HSD) has been designated a Unified Funding Agency (UFA) for the fifth year in a row by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

HUD conducts an annual competitive application process to receive federal homeless assistance funding under the federal Continuum of Care (CoC) Program. Each of the over 400 CoCs has a board that designates their Collaborative Applicant to apply for funding on behalf of the CoC. Locally, the Everett/Snohomish County CoC board is the Partnership to End Homelessness (PEH). The PEH had designated the HSD as the entity to apply for UFA status.

The HSD applied for UFA status and has received that status for the fifth year in row, indicating the PEH and HSD are an innovative and effective CoC that meets all the requirements to be designated a UFA.

“The Partnership to End Homelessness is dedicated to finding solutions to end homelessness in Snohomish County. The PEH and Human Services Department work collectively together to design and implement a homeless response system to meet housing and services needs for families and individuals experiencing or at-risk of homelessness,” said Candy Banker, PEH Chair.

Snohomish County, as one of only eight UFAs in the country, is known nationwide as a leading UFA. As such, the PEH and HSD receive requests to speak to other governments and CoC entities throughout the nation about how to become—and what it means to be—a successful UFA. It takes effective leadership, dedicated highly skilled staff, and committed partners to achieve and maintain UFA status.

“Homelessness remains a persistent challenge across the region. With the help of our partners, we will be able to make even more progress, improving the lives of our neighbors in need,” said Dave Somers, Snohomish County Executive. “Our successful program will continue to use research-based, proven tools to move people from homelessness into housing.”

Currently, Snohomish County and the region are experiencing a deficit of affordable housing. Many low income households do not earn enough to pay for food, basic needs, and housing; others are struggling with health issues; and many are fleeing violent relationships. These are some of the factors that may lead to families and individuals experiencing homelessness. The PEH and HSD have a very broad mandate to plan for the housing and services needs of residents to prevent and end homeless in Snohomish County.

“Snohomish County will continue to use innovative approaches to address the challenge of homelessness in our county,” said Human Services Director Mary Jane Brell-Vujovic. “We are proud of the work of the Snohomish County Partnership to End Homelessness and the recognition that we receive as a gold standard CoC but know there is much work still to be done and look forward to continued collaboration with our partners to house all Snohomish County residents in need.”

Additional Information about the requirements the CoC must meet and the work being done in Snohomish County may be found on the on the County website at:

Information about Partnership to End Homelessness may be found at: https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/PEHCoCBoard

Information about the Homeless Prevention & Response System Strategic Plan may be found at: https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/HomelessPreventionResponse

Continuum of Care Program information may be found at: https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/CoCProgram

Information about the CoC Investing In Futures Initiative Coordinated Entry system may be found at: https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/InvestingInFutures

Homeless Management Information System information may be found at: https://snohomishcountywa.gov/HMISReports

Annual Point-in-Time Count Reports: https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/PointInTime

 The Snohomish County Human Services Department helps all persons meet their basic needs and develop their potential by providing timely, effective human services and building community. The Housing & Community Services Division administers a wide range of programs that provide affordable housing, community development, and related services to low-income and homeless persons.