HOUSING SERVICES

Helping individuals and families without stable housing achieve housing stability,
growth and improved well-being, and places of belonging in the community.

Client Story

A place to call home for mom and daughter

The cycle can be vicious. Health conditions can lead to unemployment from missing too much work or being physically unable to do a job. Unemployment can then lead to homelessness.

Linda Allen, 59, knows this cycle all too well. When she came to Snohomish County from Eastern Washington, she didn’t envision living in her truck. But her worsening back and heart issues kept her from working full-time, which prevented her from keeping a home. She also has an adult daughter with disabilities who needed her care and support.

Linda and daughter Amber lived in their pickup for several months. Then a call to 211 provided a connection to a housing navigator with our LCSNW team in Everett. Housing Supervisor Lori Morgan worked tirelessly to find an apartment that Linda’s limited income could afford.

Our housing navigation team keeps very busy. Linda and Amber were among 160 clients on Lori’s caseload in the spring of 2024. Lori found an apartment for Linda and Amber in Marysville and was able to pay their damage deposit and part of their first month’s rent. “Lori was a godsend,” Linda said. “We wouldn’t have been able to climb out of this mess without her.”

After getting settled, Linda found part-time work at Walmart as a greeter. Between her earnings and disability benefits, she can pay rent herself. Their budget is tight but they manage and they love where they live. “We have a place to call home,” Linda said.

Pictured above: Linda Allen (left) and her daughter Amber.

Leader Profile

Michael Bailey

The affiliation relationship between LCSNW and Compass Housing Alliance is moving to a higher level since the hiring of Michael as Compass President. Michael, the former Deputy Director of Operations and Homelessness at the City of Seattle, replaced Mary Steele, who retired from Compass in October 2023.

Whether in Washington state or his previous home state of Georgia, Michael has actively advocated for those at risk of living without basic needs such as food, medical care and housing. He’s now locked in on the Compass mission: to develop and provide essential services, shelter, and affordable housing so that everyone in our community has a safe place to call home.

One major achievement was the April 2024 opening of the Blaine Veterans Center, the first 24/7 enhanced emergency shelter in King County focused only on veterans.

“Housing is, and should always be a fundamental right,” Michael said. “It’s a belief that both Compass Housing Alliance and I wholeheartedly share.”

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