EVERETT — The Everett Community Streets Initiative task force will hold a special meeting Monday to discuss a plan to put myriad recommendations into action.
The meeting will be held from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the Weyerhaeuser Room of Everett Station, 3201 Smith Ave.
The initiative, launched last summer by Mayor Ray Stephanson, brought together representatives from government, law enforcement, churches, businesses and nonprofits to brainstorm ways to tackle Everett’s chronic problems of homelessness, panhandling, mental illness, addiction and other public nuisances.
The task force issued a final report in November that contained 63 recommendations in six categories: public safety, housing, advocacy, public outreach, services to street populations and inter-agency coordination and communication.
Six subgroups have been discussing the recommendations in each category since January, city communications director Meghan Pembroke said.
“It was really to look at each recommendation in each category and figure out how it can best be implemented,” she said.
Those groups are to present their conclusions at Monday’s meeting. The findings are expected to identify possible funding sources as well as which agencies or groups would need to be involved.
“We’ve said all along that the city will play a big role in some of these, but others don’t fall under the city’s jurisdiction,” Pembroke said.
Some of the recommendations in the task force report already are being implemented. Police and social service organizations are better coordinating their efforts when dealing with street populations, for example.
Earlier this month, a perennial homeless encampment near the Everett Gospel Mission was cleared out. Several members of the encampment were steered to housing or other services.
No one was arrested during that operation, Everett Police Chief Dan Templeman said at the time.
Chris Winters: 425-374-4165; cwinters@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @Chris_At_Herald.
Streets Initiative meeting
The Everett Community Streets Initiative task force will meet to discuss implementing earlier recommendations from 4-5:30 p.m. Monday in the Weyerhaeuser Room of Everett Station, 3201 Smith Ave.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
