Nonprofit Housing Hope closes three businesses providing job training and employment as funding dries up and residents struggle to pay rent.
EVERETT, Wash. — Federal cuts and rising costs are forcing the elimination of job programs in western Washington that help pull people out of poverty, leaving workers and advocates worried about slipping backward.
Friday marked the last day at Everett’s Kindred Kitchen, which opened in 2019 giving low-income and formerly homeless people job training for the food industry.
Cody Cadden had just gotten out of jail and was trying to stay sober when he started working there.
“It was amazing, showing me that I can do something. I can be here at 9 a.m. every day. I can be a member of society again,” Cadden said.
Kindred is one of three businesses run by the nonprofit Housing Hope that provide pathways for people out of homelessness and addiction. The organization also operates the Renew furniture store, and until recently, a landscaping business. All of them are closing, eliminating two dozen jobs.
Bryant Blauvelt worked his way up to assistant manager at Renew. Now he has only questions.
“Where am I going to go? What am I going to do? How am I going to provide for my family?” Blauvelt wondered.
The closures are attributed to federal funding cuts and rising expenses, but also the inability of people in Housing Hope’s low-income housing to pay their rents — a warning sign for the economy.
“They’re having to make some really hard choices between buying food, paying for medical care or paying their rent. They have experienced a reduction in SNAP benefits, Medicaid benefits,” said Kathryn Opina, CEO of Housing Hope. “They have experienced a reduction in SNAP benefits, medicaid benefits and they’re trying to backfill holes in their own funding.”
Single-year losses from those three businesses for Housing Hope total half a million dollars. Opina says the cuts were painful but necessary to make sure the organization’s main mission of keeping people housed can continue.
“It is a stark reality of the challenges we are facing,” Opina said.
There is some good news: Housing Hope will continue to train food workers. And while more cuts can’t be ruled out, those fortunate enough to have found themselves in the program feel better prepared for an uncertain future.
“I know that I will succeed,” Blauvelt said.
“We just have to hope this is the right thing and keep pushing forward,” Cadden added.
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