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I am writing to you on behalf of Hope N’ Wellness at 3021 Rucker Ave. I am aware of the <br />“efforts” the city has made and, frankly, it is disappointingly far too little, far too late. The city has <br />had months to collaborate with Jasmine, who has been open and willing at every step to find <br />solutions that would permit her to continue serving the most vulnerable residents of Everett. She <br />has consistently been met with dropped communications, attacks against her character, and <br />even harassment. <br /> <br />To be even more frank, how many Everett residents need to die before the council takes <br />preventative measures to keep people safe? Your actions regarding the Waits Motel killed <br />people. Your failure to open a day center or to ensure appropriate funding for shelters (day and <br />night) to run efficiently has killed people. Your commitment to not building housing or utilizing <br />evidence-based strategies to address substance use and homelessness has killed people. <br /> <br />Getting rid of businesses like Jasmine’s Hope N’ Wellness will not make a “cool” downtown and <br />it will not make a thriving community where people are safe. It will, however, certainly mean that <br />more people will die. Considering the state of affairs today and the potential loss of an unknown <br />number of Federal support programs, which will put already vulnerable populations under even <br />more strain, it is concerning that the City is investing these resources in preventing community <br />care because of a discriminatory (though, as noted often, legal) ordinances. <br /> <br />I request that you extend the close business date (2/28) given to Jasmine to allow time for the <br />council to actually discuss potential adjustments to the Municipal Code, as by the time this date <br />was provided by the City the opportunity had passed to have a genuine discussion regarding <br />this option. This would be consistent with recent actions taken by the Council (after all, the Code <br />was recently adjusted to rightfully allow birthing centers), and with the messaging provided by <br />the City that it’s doing its best to help those in need. <br /> <br />Thank you for your time, <br /> <br />Angela Di Filippo <br />11401 3rd Ave SE <br />Everett, WA 98208 <br />[EXTERNAL] Public Comment for City Council Meeting (1/29)->Everett City Council Public Comment - 1.29.25.docx[EXTERNAL] Public Comment for City Council Meeting (1/29)->Everett City Council Public Comment - 1.29.25.docx