Editor’s Update 5:30 PM: A few minutes ago MyEverettNews.com received the following via email from Everett City Public Information Director Meghan Pembroke regarding our story below.
Hi Lee – I saw your article about the Salvation Army and wanted to provide some additional context and clarification.
Andrea and Jeremy Reedy from Salvation Army recently reached out to the City for help with some of their programs. Hil Kaman, public health and safety director, and Becky McCrary, housing and community development program manager, met with the Reedys twice in recent weeks and discussed the safety issues raised by them about their current feeding program. The Reedys are new to Everett and were not aware of some of the resources and organizations working in this area, so the City provided information about several groups, such as Everett Faith in Action, the Hot Meals Coalition, and the Homeless Policy Taskforce. We also arranged for a follow-up meeting with more City staff and other community partners who operate shelters and feeding programs.
The Reedys asked about funding for feeding programs, and we explained that some other programs had applied and received Human Needs Grant funding from the City but that the Salvation Army had never applied for this funding for its feeding program. The Salvation Army has applied for and received Human Needs Grant funding for its cold weather shelter in past years ($16,320 in 2017.)
The Reedys asked about the City’s position on their decision to temporarily close their feeding program and we explained that we did not have a position on them stopping the program. We did not have an objection, particularly after the Reedys explained there were other meal programs that served at the same time as theirs. The City has received complaints about their feeding program and is aware of recent police responses to the location during their programs. Consistent with the recommendations of the Community Streets Initiative, we encourage all charitable organizations to give responsibly and use best practices in providing food and hot meals to those in need.
Please let me know if you have any questions or need additional information.
Thanks,
Meghan
Drugs, threats and violence have led the Salvation Army in Everett to call time-out on their Monday and Tuesday feeds.
Drug use, threats of violence and actual violence by people attending have led the administrators to call a time out. Andrea Reedy and her husband Jeremy are the new officers-administrators at the Everett Salvation Army.
“Over the last six weeks we have had to call the police multiple times to come address people creating problems,” said Andrea. “This past Tuesday we had things go too far and we need to shut it down while we look for a permanent solution.”
Reedy says they have found needles in their bathroom, people have refused to leave after the one hour program was over and they find people attending to meet up not for meals, but for drug sales. Reedy says some of the people causing issues have come from the Smith Street area where cameras and the attention brought to those living there have caused people to find places other than 36th and Smith street to meet up.
For now Reedy and her husband are focusing their efforts on growing the church portion of their program. They are also reaching out to other groups in the area to see if they would be interested in hosting the weekly feed. “We’d like to combine resources with someone else,” Reedy said. The meals have been provided by groups and churches in the greater Everett area. There are no grants.
Reedy met with Everett City officials on Thursday and she told MyEverettNews.com the city told them they do fund feeding programs, “I don’t know which ones”, said Reedy. “But not ours”. She related the City also said they would be in favor of us closing our meal down because feeding programs get a lot of complaints to the mayors office.
“This is not a decision we are taking lightly”, Reedy added.
If you know of people interested in partnering with the Salvation Army you can contact the Reedys at 425-259-8129. You can also learn more about the Everett Salvation Army here at their Facebook Page.
September 22, 2017
Everett