Arlington leaders to vote on rules for social services fund

ARLINGTON — City leaders are set to vote on rules for a new fund meant to span a dangerous gap for drug addicts seeking help.

It’s the gap between when they decide they want treatment and when or where a center can find them a bed.

If local centers have no space, someone might need to travel out of state to a place that will help them get clean. And if there’s a day or two wait before they can get into treatment, they are at risk of using again and losing motivation to start recovery.

Last year, the nonprofit Cascade Valley Health Foundation decided to provide the city $10,000 to start a social services flex fund. The money would be accessible for police and firefighters who work daily with those struggling to overcome addiction. The money could pay for transportation to a treatment center. It also could cover a short hotel stay, a meal or basic needs such as personal hygiene supplies while someone is waiting for an opening.

“If we approach an individual, especially those who are addicted to opioids, and they say, ‘I’m ready for rehab, I want to go,’ a lot of local centers don’t have space,” city and police spokeswoman Kristin Banfield said. “But there are places elsewhere that may be able to take them right now or within a day or two. We would rather get them out of their environment and into a clean, safe place right away. That increases their chances.”

In order to make use of the money, and to lay a foundation for a fund that could continue, the City Council needs to establish policies such as who has access, how expenses are recorded, and what purchases can be made. The proposed policy notes that unauthorized use for things other than social services needs could lead to discipline, including termination of employment. The council vote is scheduled for Monday.

The health foundation considers grant requests twice a year and felt strongly about the social services fund, President Jim Rankin said.

“This was a way to stay involved in the community but also to give the first responders an avenue wherein they could direct individuals who are in need of assistance,” he said. “We felt it was a worthy cause.”

The dilemma of how to curb what health officials are calling an opioid epidemic is a topic around the state and country. The state attorney general called a summit this week at the University of Washington. According to state data, 718 people died of opioid overdoses in Washington in 2015. More than 60 percent of overdose deaths involve opioids.

Arlington modeled its flex fund after a similar program in the city of Everett. Instead of police and firefighters being the main staff to access Everett’s Safe Streets Flex Fund, it’s the embedded social workers who work with them, spokeswoman Jaimee Hudson said.

The fund started in March 2016 with an $8,000 grant from the EverTrust Foundation. Since then, the city has received other grants and donations. The fund has been used to help more than 60 people.

“It can be as simple as a cup of coffee and a hot meal to build that relationship and build that trust between someone who is homeless and one of our embedded social workers,” Hudson said. “It can be a pair of shoes or minutes on a cellphone so people can make it to their doctor appointments.”

Everett and Arlington officials say the funds are one piece of the puzzle for helping those who are homeless, mentally ill or addicted to drugs. Both cities have undertaken extensive efforts in recent years to confront those issues.

The flex funds do not use tax dollars. The Everett program accepts donations and an online portal is in the works, Hudson said. Arlington’s fledgling fund is currently relying on the health foundation’s grant, but the goal is to make it sustainable, Banfield said.

“We interact with folks daily who are opioid addicted,” she said. “Whether or not they’re ready for treatment, that’s a different matter, and sometimes that can change within a single conversation … But sometimes, we’re able to make that connection with them and we get that ability to make them understand that we care.”

Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.