6107 BERKSHIRE DR SEPA 016 - 041 Land Use Decision Documents 2025-04-14

PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING AS A RESPONSE TO ENDING CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS • Medical conditions: According to a study conducted on a similar facility in Oregon, residents saw a substantial reduction in medical costs and significant improvement in physical and mental health once they were placed in supportive housing. Housing is a factor in an individual's physical and mental health. Similar to behavioral health issues, studies show that physical and health outcomes are better if individuals have access to safe and affordable housing. For example,we would not require a person to control their diabetes before granting them access to housing, and the same logic is true of behavioral health issues. • Substance use and mental illness: Housing First has been shown to be the most effective strategy to help people who are homeless and suffering with addiction or mental illness make progress in overcoming those conditions. Programs that require sobriety before providing access to housing have lower success rates for achieving the same treatment goals. The goal of supportive housing is not that residents continue to engage in destructive behaviors, but rather to approach them with a strategy that has been proven to be effective in reducing substance use and improving mental health among chronically homeless individuals. The facility is not"no-barrier" housing, but has limitations on who can qualify to be a resident. Those guidelines help protect the health and safety of residents who are transitioning out of life on the streets,and help ensure that the facility can operate successfully within the larger community. Source:https://everettwo.gov/1371/Safe-Streets-Housing Page 3 Final 12/27/2016