EVERETT — The county has a new symbol of hope in its efforts to assist vulnerable residents in need.
The Carnegie Resource Center in downtown Everett formally opened on Jan. 7 as a centralized and integrated human services site to assist residents of Snohomish County.
The Carnegie, located on Oakes Avenue next to the jail and across from the county courthouse, is open for walk-in services and also receives referrals from the court system, jail releases and a homelessness diversion center behind the building. The staff uses an assessment process to then refer clients to help within the building and make sure that they are clear about what the next steps are as well.
The center is the result of the county government’s desire to connect people in need with community resources for addiction treatment, employment services, food security, health care navigation, housing programs, veterans’ services, education and mental health counseling all under one roof.
“The (Carnegie) is designed to offer an array of services to support individuals desiring to make positive changes in their lives,” said Cammy Hart-Anderson, a division manager with the Snohomish County Human Services Department. “It is primarily targeted for individuals with behavioral health and substance abuse challenges experiencing homelessness.”
As of Jan. 10, two weeks since its soft opening in late December, the Carnegie had seen 26 people and made 58 referrals, said the center’s director Calei Vaughn.
Establishing the center was a collaborative process involving leadership from the county’s government, human services department, law enforcement, the jail, judicial partners, social service providers and the state Legislature.
The nonprofit Pioneer Human Services is running the center. Organizations on-site include Workforce Snohomish, state Department of Social and Human Services (DSHS), Catholic Community Services, Community Health Centers of Snohomish County, Housing Hope, Refugee and Immigrant Sources Northwest, Volunteers of America Western Washington and Everett Community College.
“The Carnegie Center is now open as a gateway to a new start,” County Executive Dave Somers said in a statement. “By providing a one-stop-shop, we can use all available services to guide those first important steps toward a better future.”
Vaughn described the county’s efforts as progressive, forgiving and solutions-based. “We’re doing a lot of things other than just throwing money at the problem and thinking it’s going to go away,” she said. “We’re having real impact, we’re looking at the cause.”
Hart-Anderson said in an interview that the community resource-centered approach to these services lacked a model nationwide. She characterized it as a pilot program that will be able to make changes and adjustments as necessary.
Funding is provided by the county’s Human Services Department with money from the county’s Chemical Dependency and Mental Health Sales Tax.
The center is looking for ways to build capacity and diversify its funding, she said. “We need a mental health and substance use disorder co-occurring clinician on site here,” Vaughn said.
“We want to get people the help they need, whatever that help might be,” County Councilman Sam Low said. “Because it actually makes all of our community better and it saves our community money in the long run.”
Vaughn said that the center will be looking to measure its clients’ engagement and the after effects on the volume and rate of their incarceration and emergency room visits.
“The number of people who can use the Carnegie Resource Center and transition from homelessness to a stable, productive life will be the best measure of success,” county spokesman Kent Patton said.
Securing funding, completing construction and placing safety features took approximately five years
after members of the county council first decided to use it as a centralized location of resources for people in need of assistance. Hart-Anderson said the project saves people and the building.
The center and its staff strive to make it a welcoming environment. “People deserve second chances all the way around; a chance to change,” Vaughn said.
The Carnegie building first opened in 1905 as a public library through a $25,000 grant from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation. It was designed in the Second Renaissance Revival Style and since it was modeled mainly after the Carnegie Library in Pomona, California, it features distinctive mission style tiles on the roof.
After the original library relocated the building was used as a mortuary, county executive’s office, work release facility, and storage and then sat vacant for more than a decade. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Carnegie Resource Center:
3001 Oakes Ave., Everett.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday
Phone: 425-434-4680
