Homelessness is not a new challenge, and in fact it hits every city across the nation. Mukilteo is not immune, but as a community we are fortunate to have a police force whose approach seeks to tackle the issue with humanity and caring. They do this by understanding that the underlying reason for homelessness happens for a variety of reasons: addictions, mental health issues, finances and bad choices to name a few.

In 2023, 78 contacts were made with the homeless population, by our police department, with 32 contacts being made thus far this year. The police department has 36 staff, 28 of whom are “on the streets” actively working in the community. They are divided into patrol, special ops, and community service. Primarily the community service officers along with Compass Health social workers address our homeless population. Unfortunately, budget cuts among our partners means many social workers will no longer be aiding the department on these calls.

Officer Nathan Fabia and Ed Clark from the Mukilteo Police Foundation, spoke to our club about the need for ongoing services to our homeless population.

Nathan described what “homelessness” looks like. It may be living in a car, couch surfing, or literally living on the streets. His job as a community service officer is to respond, de-escalate, build rapport, get important information, achieve compliance and help the person to connect to appropriate services within the county.

Ed shared ways that the Foundation is supporting our men and women in blue. They organize the Shop With A Cop fundraiser, initiate the Touch a Truck event, and orchestrate the Community Cares program. The foundation aids and contribute gas cards and other small tokens for officers to distribute as needed to people in need.

Mukilteo is fortunate to have a police department we can take pride in… for their diligence in keeping us safe, for their collaboration with other community partners, and for their commitment to treating all with respect and dignity.