Shoutout to the guy at the Everett Public Library who showed me the stats on local homeless programs

I used to think the city was wasting money on the shelter expansion down on Smith Ave. But last week I was at the library waiting for a meeting and overheard this guy talking to a staff member about the annual city report. He showed me the numbers on his phone - the outreach program brought 180 people into permanent housing last year alone, at like $12,000 per person. That's way cheaper than ER visits and jail time. Now I get why they keep funding it. Has anyone else seen the full report from 2024?

2 comments

2 Comments

olivia_rivera8819d ago

Wait, did you seriously not know about the fire department data? I sat through a whole city council meeting last spring and they broke that down. It was like 40% fewer non-emergency calls to the shelter area after they added the medical clinic on site. That's bonkers. I used to be the guy rolling my eyes every time I saw a panhandler near the library, but once I actually looked at the numbers I felt like an idiot. The best part is the report shows the program saves about $8,000 per person in avoided emergency room visits alone. Makes me wonder what else I'm wrong about in the budget.

the_thomas19d ago

That bit about $12,000 per person being cheaper than jail and ER visits really hit me. I read the 2024 report a couple weeks ago and felt pretty dumb for all the times I complained about "wasted tax dollars" at the shelter. Turns out my hot takes are worth about as much as my ability to read a budget spreadsheet, which is basically zero. The numbers on reduced ER usage were the real kicker for me though, did it mention the fire department call data too?