County adopts plan to address homelessness

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, April 21, 2026

A five-year homeless housing plan required by the state obtained Island County commissioners’ approval last week, albeit not without drawing concerns about its feasibility.

“The difference between, ‘I want to make a difference’ and ‘I’m starting to do the work to make a difference’ is somewhat the reality of resources,” Commissioner Jill Johnson said.

Preventing homelessness is the plan’s goal, or at least extremely limiting instances of homelessness should it still occur.

Five objectives — the backbone of the plan — focus on improving the county’s response to homelessness, triaging assistance and providing stable housing to all. Several action steps are listed in accordance with each objective and include measures to execute those steps, loose timelines and the specific groups responsible for the step’s completion.

Annual updates on the status of the five-year plan are required under Washington State law.

A Homeless Housing Task Force devised the plan over the course of four meetings last year. Whidbey representatives in the task force included individuals from all three of the island’s municipalities and directors of groups like the SPiN Cafe, Citizens Against Domestic Abuse, or CADA, and the Whidbey Homeless Coalition.

Efforts like these are necessitated by the fact that the cost of living has increased “dramatically” since the last homeless housing plan in 2019, the current plan explains.

A Point In Time count conducted Jan. 30, 2025 identified 173 homeless individuals in Island County, including 96 in emergency or transitional shelters and 77 who were unsheltered.

That number increases when factoring in those at risk of homelessness over time, based on multiple data sources. A Snapshot of Homelessness report by the state’s Department of Commerce found that 1,229 people in Island County were homeless or unstably housed in January 2025.

Additionally, the Coordinated Entry program aided 903 people in Island County currently homeless or at risk for being homeless in 2025, up from 783 in 2019.

Johnson criticized the plan for being “fantasy-based.” Much of the responsibility of its completion is designated to the county, she said, and there is extensive policy development involved without consideration for time, funding and staffing constraints.

Emily Wildeman, the county’s housing program manager who presented the plan at the meeting, acknowledged that while the county owns a “large part” of the responsibility for the plan’s eventual realization, it is only meant to guide progress. Not every goal is expected to be completed in five years.

“The Task Force sees this as a plan that will grow and adapt each year as needs change in the community and funding levels are adjusted,” the plan states. “If we have learned anything in the last five years, it is that plans always need to be flexible to meet the current needs of the community and to best serve those most vulnerable community members.”

Johnson said she felt she made her point about the importance of including the board in policy development, but acknowledged having a generalized plan serves a purpose.

“In order to do the breakdown, we have to have an overarching plan to break down,” she said.