Burlington mayor plans county’s first permanent homeless shelter

BURLINGTON —The City of Burlington’s heart has grown three sizes larger with Mayor Steve Sexton’s decision to commit to building permanent shelters and offer social services for perhaps 125 unhoused people on city-owned property on Pease Road. It will be the first facility providing permanent shelter in Skagit County.

In a call with the Weekly News Friday, Sexton noted there is no cold-weather shelter in the county. “We have done too little for too long,” he said, referencing governments and community organizations. He termed the 1-acre property with a warehouse on it “ideal.”

Sexton will ask his city council at its Jan. 14 meeting to provide a 90 day notice to cancel a lease with the tenant using the warehouse. His goal is to have shelters on the site and the facility open May 1. He plans to order 40 shelters made of aluminum and composite materials from Pallet, a social purpose company with a manufacturing facility in Everett.

Modifications to the building will provide “handwashing stations, portable showers, just the basics for day one,” he said, to “answer what are the most critical things we need.” He has involved Sarah Hinman, housing and community services division manager and area community organizations for planning assistance.

“If we have 40 of these units and 125 people, and 100 people have social issues, I would think social workers would be there,” Sexton said. “I would love those folks to put their efforts in that area. It is going to be all of us working together on this project.”

He has been in discussion with his council members since October and has city staff working on the project.

Sexton said Burlington has collected $75,000 from the 2020 state law allowing local governments to raise the sales tax with the state matching funds for homeless programs.

He notes widespread local support. It was the number one issue brought up in his re-election last fall, he said. He finds an “outpouring of support of individuals in our community who want to volunteer. Business support. I have had one business say they want to buy one of those huts. The service clubs have reached out. That is the fabric of our community. There is a sense of a pent up need that we want to get behind.”

“If anyone wants to reach out and be a part of this or has comments they can reach me through city hall. I welcome that,” he said.