Panel to discuss affordable housing in Edmonds

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, April 19, 2017

I wish to express my concern about a critical problem in our beautiful, comfortable town: a dire absence of housing for those of modest income as well as for homeless families and individuals.

My husband Dick and I served over a three-month period on half-a-dozen Friday nights with a group of wonderful volunteers to provide 20 to 50 adult men and women with a warm place to sleep, safety, a mat and blanket, and a hot dinner, breakfast and a sack lunch on evenings the temperature fell below 34 degrees. The Senior Center generously provided hospitality.

Mark and Sue Waldrin of Trinity Lutheran Church, the founders and leaders of “We All Belong,” were assisted by members of four other congregations: St. Thomas More and Holy Rosary Catholic churches, the Edmonds United Methodist Church and the Edmonds Unitarian Universalist Church.

There are so many good-hearted people in this community! Dick and I were humbled and impressed by the dedication and dependability of these warm, giving volunteers. We were also impressed by the gratitude and friendliness of the guests, toward us and toward each other. It was a lesson for all of us in the value of human beings caring for others and “having each other’s backs.”

The people of Edmonds are on the verge of doing something positive and life-changing for others.

On 6:30 p.m., April 24 at in the Plaza Room of the Edmonds Public Library, the Edmonds Housing Instability Coalition in cooperation with the city of Edmonds will present a panel discussion on low-income housing needs in Edmonds. Dorothy Trinen of the Edmonds Housing Instability Coalition helped lead the effort to bring this critical area of need to the attention of our citizens and city leaders.

Mark Smith, executive director of the Housing Consortium of Everett and Snohomish County will moderate a panel of four speakers: Chris Collier, director of the Alliance for Housing Affordability; Mary Anne Dillon-Bryant, regional director of Snohomish County YWCA, Elizabeth Kohl, director of Social Services, Housing Hope; and Shane Hope, Edmonds director of Planning and Development Services. They will address the question of what the citizens of Edmonds need to learn about low-income housing needs in their community. The audience will be encouraged to ask questions.

I strongly urge all people of conscience in Snohomish County to attend! We salute the city of Everett for its leadership in housing for the homeless. We hope for your encouragement and support.

Monda Van Hollebeke

Edmonds