Sheriff Ternary tells the Everett City Council the diversion center is a bit of light at the end of the tunnel.
Governor Inslee (l), Sheriff Ty Trenary (c) and Cammy Hart-Anderson at a tour of the Diversion Center in January.
The Diversion Center is for short-term stays of about two weeks.
The diversion center was developed and funded by Snohomish County and is expected to open within the next week or so. Here’s our story on the center from back in January when Governor Jay Inslee toured the facility.
It is designed to provide temporary shelter for a week or two while an embedded social worker with the Sheriff’s Office or a police department develops a plan to get in-depth treatment for someone who says “Yes, I’m ready” when contacted out on the streets. There are 44 beds with separate units for men and women.
The Sheriff told the Everett City Council that if someone is brought to the diversion center in Everett they will not be staying in Everett long term but will be taken back to the area where they were originally contacted by a social worker.
The center is also only open for agencies who have a certified social worker working with a law enforcement agency and that social worker has to provide the case management services for the client. A person can’t just be brought to Everett and dropped off at the center.
There is no direct cost for Everett to participate in the Diversion Center Program through the end of this year other than incidental costs for clients that are expected to be paid from the city’s flex fund. Moving forward in 2019 and beyond may be another story depending on what grants and funding sources may be available. You can see the full agreement offered to the Everett City Council tonight by the County. The agreement is expected to be considered by the council next week.
May 30, 2018
Everett