Lawsuit could derail Everett’s plan to build temporary shelter for women, children

EVERETT, Wash. — A lawsuit could potentially derail the City of Everett’s plans to build a temporary shelter for women and children.

The city had planned to use about two acres of undeveloped city-owned land on Sievers Duecy Boulevard, which is right next to the Phil Johnson ballfields.

The group who filed the suit said using the land for a shelter violates the development agreement and city officials say that right now, they can’t use the land for anything else.

“It saddens me that people don’t want to help women and children,” said City of Everett Community Development Director, Julie Willie.

The space could be a temporary shelter for 20 houseless women and their children, but the lawsuit, filed by “Friends of Phil Johnson Ballpark Phase 2,” threatens to keep that from happening.

“This group of people seem to only care about this space and not necessarily the women and children that may also need help,” said Willie.

Willie said that of the 67 acres made available, only two would be used to put up the temporary site made by Pallet Shelter.

“100 percent of those sites have also had community opposition because people tend to be afraid of things they don’t know. They tend to resist because they’re not sure if it’s safe,” said Pallet Shelter Founder and CEO, Amy King.

King said they can set up the units in about an hour. They have three other sites currently operating in Everett, all of them run by Volunteers of America with services for those staying there.

“I can assure you that all of the sites we have across the country, once they’re opened, have been broadly accepted by the communities in which they operate,” said King.

Willie said the city’s parks director gave them approval to use the land for the temporary shelter and a hearing examiner agreed.

But now the group filing the lawsuit has taken it to superior court. She says even if the city wanted to use the space for parks, they don’t have the funding for it. The money for the site comes from The American Rescue Plan Act.

“We went to the community and asked them what their priorities were, and how they wanted us to spend the money, and homelessness was top on their list. People were very worried about the individuals living unsheltered,” said Willie.

KIRO 7 reached out to the attorney for the plaintiffs and requested an on-camera interview with him or his clients, but he declined.

©2024 Cox Media Group