Cocoon House Breaks Ground on New Colby Site

Men in hardhats chatted with social workers in skirts. An orange backhoe was parked near a table filled with cupcakes.

This was the groundbreaking ceremony for Cocoon House's new Colby Avenue Youth Center. The brand new facility will replace the Spirit of Grace United Methodist Church on 36th & Colby.

The church now stands vacant with painter's plastic over its windows, surrounded by a chain-link fence.

*Members of the Tulalip tribe sang a blessing over the earth prior to excavation.*

The new Cocoon House facility is scheduled to open in 2019 with the goal of giving young people in the community direct access to mental health and substance abuse services, educational opportunities and vocational resources.

The new facility will have 40 housing units, social service offices, an employment center, and areas for indoor and outdoor recreation.

In his opening comments, Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers said that Cocoon House helps "save lives."

The 12 million dollar project is a community effort that has brought together members of the private and nonprofit sectors. During the ceremony representatives from GGLO Design, Kirtley Cole, Beacon Development, and Premera Blue Cross took the podium to talk about their participation in the project.

“The youth center is part of a new wave of construction transforming the Port Gardner and Glacier View neighborhoods.”

Steve Kipp, Vice President of Corporate Communications for Premera Blue Cross, noted in his speech that homelessness is often a public health issue. The average life expectancy of an individual experiencing homelessness is 42 years old, as compared to 78 years for someone who has been housed. It's estimated 80% of emergency room visits could be avoided if homeless individuals had access to preventative care, cutting emergency room costs by 59%.

Mayor Franklin, visibly emotional, took the podium to loud cheers from the crowd. She started working for Cocoon House in 2005 and became CEO of the nonprofit in 2011. The new youth center was her vision prior to her election. Cocoon House Interim CEO Joe Alonzo completed the project's fundraising campaign.

Standing in front of an artist's rendering of the new building Mayor Franklin said that the youth in the community inspired her. She thanked the volunteers and supporters who helped the campaign to reach its financial goal.

*Breaking ground on the new Colby Avenue Youth Center. Mayor Franklin, center in black coat, is the former CEO of Cocoon House.*

Cocoon House, an Everett-based nonprofit, helps homeless, at-risk, and disconnected young people in Snohomish County. It started in 1991 as an eight-bed shelter, but now includes housing, outreach, and prevention programs in Everett, Arlington, and Monroe.

The forthcoming youth center is part of a new wave of construction transforming the Port Gardner and Glacier View neighborhoods. Two other new buildings in the area are scheduled to open in 2019: the new YMCA center at 4730 Colby Avenue and the Hopeworks Station II at 33rd & Broadway Avenue.

Good things happen here.