Everett Faith in Action: Positively Connecting Community
You've probably heard of the power of positivity. Positivity increases greater well-being, resilience, and stress reduction. Positivity also reduces feelings of helplessness, which is necessary to create solutions and address issues proactively.
Everett Faith in Action emphasizes positive movement and advocates for programs that have a real impact and success. They have a housing-first mentality and a belief that people need a secure place of their own before they can effectively address other issues and move forward in their lives. This group is committed to ensuring Everett can be a place for all to call home.
I was able to chat with Carol Jensen, a member of the Steering Committee, to learn more about this local non-profit and how they support Everett and Snohomish County.
Everett Faith in Action was formed in 2016 in response to the Community Streets Initiative sponsored by former Mayor Stephanson, which brought business, community, and faith leaders together to make recommendations to address local issues. Their intention was (and is) to be a voice championing positive things in our city and educate their faith members and the larger community about what actions are being taken to address these issues.
While not an incorporated 501(c)(3), the organization can often get funding by being affiliated with various faith communities. Carol described Everett Faith in Action as “a table of faith leaders in the city, working together” and shared that “partnership is key … people inspire one another, and things happen as a result of people gathering”. With an emphasis on the theme “How do we love our neighbor?” partnerships make sense. They are necessary to resolve the crises impacting our city, particularly regarding homelessness and the lack of affordable housing, the number one issue brought up by residents this past election.
Everett Faith in Action has been putting in the positive work over the years:
In 2018, they had a large community forum called “Who is my Neighbor” with two parts. In the first, people who have lived experience with homelessness shared their stories, and in the second, community-based providers shared how they supported people transitioning out of homelessness. There were so many in attendance that they decided to do a follow-up forum in 2019.
They’ve strongly advocated for various housing projects such as Clare’s Place, Cocoon Houses’s new facility, Hopeworks, and the Pallet shelters.
They’ve developed community partnerships to create a hot meals coalition and run a study on safe parking (and help Cascade View Presbyterian Church working with Interfaith Family Shelter to manage the Cars to Housing program). Additionally, they host speakers to educate members and support Faith Lutheran permitting Pallet shelters for families at their church.
They work with policymakers - mainly at the city and county levels - for funding and projects related to housing and other human needs and have even sponsored Q&As for political candidates to promote civic engagement and build support for positive responses by policymakers.
Looking ahead, Everett Faith in Action is producing a 6-part video series using a grant from the City of Everett. Each short video will introduce viewers to the realities of experiencing homelessness, the provided support, and what we need as a community to address the housing crisis caused by a lack of affordable homes, rising rents, and other factors. In addition, Carol shared that she, and all the members of this organization, believe that churches play a significant role in providing emergency shelters (which are essential for immediate help) and are necessary to address the root of the issue.
Everett Faith in Action has regular monthly meetings on the first Thursday of each month at 9 a.m. at Hope Church on Rucker. Everyone is welcome to join. Additionally, you can always visit their Facebook page or email the group at everettfaithinaction@gmail.com to learn more.
Angela Di Filippo currently works in State Social Services and recently earned her Masters in Industrial/Organizational Psychology with extensive training in evidence-based leadership coaching. Angela moved from North Carolina to Washington 6 years ago and has proudly called Everett her home for 5 of those years. When not helping others solve problems in creative and strength-driven ways, Angela enjoys her time painting, hiking with her terrier-mix, Indy, and eating waffles.
