Heated discussion about the Federal Way Day Center filled much of a lengthy city council meeting on Jan. 7. Ultimately the Federal Way City Council voted to extend the timeline for the organization to improve compliance and safety concerns.
In the second quarter of 2025, the city will reevaluate whether to authorize a grant to the organization as it has done since the center opened in 2016. Despite a recommendation from the Human Services Commission to continue to fund the center in the most recent round of grants, the council voted to delay funding in October 2024.
The Day Center is one of multiple resources offered by the Catholic Community Services at the building located at 33505 13th Place S., Suite D, Federal Way.
The building that houses the Day Center is actually called the Federal Way Family Center and also separately offers programs including CREW behavioral health, housing and essential needs, supportive services for veteran families, rapid re-housing and Engage Health.
The specific issues that concern the city, community members and businesses include loitering during the day, evening and overnight, as well as littering, trespassing, open drug use, public intoxication, trash buildup, safety concerns and impacts on nearby businesses, according to a presentation by the city’s Human Services Department and public comment.
“There is no shelter down here”
Dan Wise and Bill Hallerman of Catholic Community Services presented to the council on Jan. 7 and answered questions, discussing the root causes of the issues at the center. The core problem is that there is no shelter for single adults in Federal Way for the 128 hours of the week that the Day Center is not open, Wise said.
Case management is offered at the Day Center, but “there is no shelter down here,” Wise explained. “Case management to shelter would normally be our primary activity and it’s made harder by the lack of shelter.”
Hallerman told the council that CCS hired 24-hour security that cost $24,000 in the past month. Their first security company was not providing adequate services, and the agency has since contracted with another that is doing a much better job.
City officials shared that public works visit the site daily to pick up trash as well to try to keep the situation under control.
Two hotels were purchased by King County to provide supportive housing and emergency shelter in 2021, but neither are yet open. CCS attempted to provide a solution to this by taking it upon themselves to create a 24/7 shelter in 2023. Although the agency assembled full funding and found a hotel partner to agree to lease the space for a year, the permit was denied by the city for being 79 feet too close to the services offered at the Federal Way Family Center, including the Day Center.
“It was too close to the Day Center and the medical clinic and all of those other cool services that I just mentioned. … We were denied our permit, we appealed, we lost that appeal and since that time folks have not had shelter in the city of Federal Way,” Wise said.
As previously reported, the application for CCS to utilize the Stevenson Motel for this purpose was denied on May 3, 2023. This was officially due to the separation requirement in the city’s revised code, but a petition and public comment were also referred to and included in the city documents regarding the decision.
While city code does limit land use, the city routinely enters into development agreements with organizations to allow exceptions to city code in other situations.
Councilmember Jack Dovey asked if other similar facilities in other cities have similar issues.
“We have a similar Day Center in Kent,” Hallerman told the council. “The Kent Day Center is open similar hours and we haven’t had these issues. We don’t have night security at the facility in Kent and some of that is because, I mean, there’s other places that folks are able to sleep in the community.”
Wise added that in Kent, their behavioral health outreach team works closely with law enforcement to do outreach and that there is a “real collaborative relationship there to try to get folks connected.”
Wise said that Kent also has fewer issues because “we do have permanent support housing that we operate in the City of Kent and so we’re able to divert folks to housing and when there are issues we just … sit down and try to problem solve them in a collaborative way.”
Public commentor Lana Bostic brought up the contrast between cities saying: “The Federal Way Day Day Center is the only daytime refuge in the city and I’m unsure of what actual plans the city has to help the homeless. Surrounding cities like Tacoma, Auburn, Kent and Renton have been more successful with finding solutions to this issue.”
While Mayor Jim Ferrell did convene a task force on homelessness in 2018, multiple recommendations put forth in that task force have never been acted on, including the need for a paid city staff member who could lead a community coordinated response and outreach program.
Public comment
28 individuals shared public comment at the Jan. 7 council meeting, most sharing their thoughts on the issue of the Day Center. Members of the Saltwater Unitarian Universalist Church were represented as well as members of local group Stand Up Federal Way. Saltwater Unitarian Universalist Church is a member of Sound Alliance, a group that was part of the original coalition to advocate for a Day Center.
“Homelessness is a complex problem caused by many factors including unaffordable housing, domestic violence, physical and mental illness, job loss and substance abuse. There is no easy solution to assisting people transitioning from unhoused to housed, however, eliminating the only facility in Federal Way which serves unhoused people is not a step toward solving problems for the unhoused,” Kathy Jorgensen said.
Kristine Arriola shared that “over time, we’ve seen steady decline in the area and it’s becoming more and more difficult to ignore the toll it’s taking on nearby businesses, public safety and our overall sense of community. The rise and break-ins, property damage and encampments spilling over into public spaces and dangerous activities like bonfires are creating a challenging environment for everyone especially local businesses residents and families.”
Whether speaking for or against the funding of the Day Center, themes of public comment highlighted the complexity of homelessness and the lack of resources in the area. Some focused on the impact of substance use and addiction, especially with fentanyl and the lack of treatment facilities.
Others focused on a housing-first approach, describing how impossible it can be to try to battle an addiction or heal from trauma or mental health challenges without safe and stable shelter.
Solutions highlighted by public commentors focused on increasing these resources and questioned what the city of Federal Way’s actual plan is when it comes to helping unhoused community members.
Lacie Faithful said to the council and the audience: “I ask you where would you go when there is no shelter and sleeping in the woods, on sidewalks and in public areas is restricted.”
“I’m urging the Federal Way City Council to make it a priority to address these challenges that are not easy but necessary and to make it a high priority to establish shelters and as the city considers itself a welcoming city, to work with the Day Center for funding and for helping to make the community whole, for we are not whole with this tragedy that is in our midst.”