EVERETT, NOV. 4: A third Pallet shelter site is anticipated to open in December and will provide temporary housing and resources to women and their children.
Pallet shelters are temporary shelter units that offer rapid-response housing to unsheltered individuals while receiving resources towards permanent housing. The city has allotted $2.7 million in COVID-19 recovery funds towards the program and works with community partners to manage the sites.
The third site will be managed by Volunteers of America of Western Washington (VOAWW) and is located at Sievers Duecy Blvd. and Glenwood Ave. The Everett City Council approved giving VOAWW approximately $1.6 million for the project through a reimbursement grant.
An additional $75 thousand from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF 2060) was awarded to support the development of the project.
The location includes 20 Pallet units, two office buildings, a community building, a laundry room and a restroom/hygiene facility. The location will be managed through a program model presented by VOAWW and will serve Everett mothers in recovery with children up to 18 years old.
The overall goal of the program is to help address homelessness by providing temporary shelter and resources while residents seek permanent housing. Residents can stay at the sites up to a year.
A lawsuit from surrounding neighbors halted the development, which was proposed in 2022, but the city came to a settlement with the group in March 2025, a city spokesperson told The Herald in May.
This shelter will receive referrals from community-based organizations that are working with families experiencing housing instability as well as the Everett CARE team and local law enforcement.
The Pallet program began as a pilot in 2021 with 20 units managed by the Everett Gospel Mission (EGM), funded by the state and county. An additional 20 units were installed in 2022.
The program has since expanded with the city voting to use a portion of COVID-19 recovery funds for additional shelters. The second site, Faith Family Village operates 8 units in the Madison neighborhood at Faith Lutheran Church.
For more information on the Pallet shelter program see here.
Updated Nov. 5, 9:30 a.m. to include project costs.
