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The Everett New Start Center — aimed at providing emergency bridge housing for those experiencing homelessness — is moving forward at the former Days Inn on Everett Mall Way, according to Snohomish County staff. A counterpart center in Edmonds is still in the city permitting phase.
County staff provided an update on both projects during a May 7 County Council meeting. In the past few weeks, permits for the Everett facility have since been issued.
“We want to get people into these buildings before it gets cold,” Kara Main-Hester, Snohomish County’s chief recovery and resilience officer, said at the meeting.
The My Neighborhood News Network reported in May 2024 that the New Start centers are “a first step toward permanent housing” for those experiencing homelessness. The centers come with medical and mental health assistance, job resources and other services.
The Everett New Start Center, formerly Days Inn, is at 1602 SE Everett Mall Way. The Edmonds New Start Center is at 22127 Highway 99. It used to be America’s Best Value Inn.
The total budget for both New Start centers is about $37 million. Federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and money collected from the county’s 0.1% affordable housing sales tax are paying for this project.
Everett city spokeswoman Simone Tarver told the My Neighborhood News Network that permits for the Everett New Start Center have been approved since the May 7 County Council meeting.
“With major projects like this, involving significant renovations to older structures, the permitting process becomes pretty complicated and typically does take some time,” Tarver wrote in an email. “Since these are matters of life safety, we all want to ensure we’re doing our part — advancing the project as quickly as feasible but also making sure the buildings will meet the relevant codes — as we would with any permitted project.”
County staff said at the May 7 meeting that each room at the New Start centers will have a wardrobe (if there is no closet), twin-sized bed, night stand, some dressers, desk, desk chair, small refrigerator, microwave and TV.
Common areas will include couches, TVs and computers. Tenants will have a laundry room and staff will have an industrial laundry room, as well as a warming kitchen.
The Salvation Army will run the 75-unit Everett New Start Center. The city already reviewed the county’s management plan and is happy with the approach, Main-Hester said.
County staff hope both centers will open in November.
Angelica Relente is a Murrow News Fellow covering housing and related issues in South Snohomish County for the My Neighborhood News Network.
