County Councilman Nate Nehring has introduced an ordinance to require annual testing of drug chemicals in county-owned supportive housing facilities.
The testing specifically would be fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other illicit drugs.
In 2022, the county bought two motels to turn into low-barrier supportive homeless housing: The Days Inn in Everett on Everett Mall Way, and an America’s Best Inn in Edmonds.
“If local governments are going to move into the role of landlords for affordable and supportive housing facilities, it is critical to ensure that safe and healthy spaces are being provided for the tenants,” Nehring said in a press release from his office. “We have seen local examples of supportive housing units where the contamination resulting from dangerous drug abuse has harmed residents and staff in these facilities.”
A prominent example is Clare’s Place, an Everett apartment building for chronically homeless individuals run by Catholic Community Services which the city of Everett encouraged.
Last fall, meth and fentanyl contamination forced a mass evacuation and displacement of the residents. Not all contaminated units had drug use going on inside: The HVAC system caused the contamination to spread apartment-to-apartment, Catholic Community Services leaders wrote to Everett last month.
Nehring voted against the county buying the motels when it came to a vote.
A prior ordinance Nehring introduced to require occupants take drug treatment failed in a 2-3 vote in 2023. Illegal drug users would have been required to get treatment as a rule to access housing in county-owned shelters for homeless people. Those who voted no on the council said the rule imposes a choice: Get clean or get shelter. This choice could interfere with a bigger goal to get homeless people off the streets by putting them in shelters.
The ordinance was scheduled to be assigned to the council’s Public Infrastructure and Conservation Committee on Feb. 20 after press time.
