Food Security

There are several other funded initiatives implemented in 2020 and 2021 to support people who are currently housed, in temporary housing, or experiencing homelessness. Some of those initiatives were expanding shelter opportunities to include hotel/motel and inclement weather options, and funding expanded hygiene and sanitation stations that included showers, laundry facilities, clean clothing, lunches, and access to other community services. Home repair is also identified as a housing-related need in the chart above. CAP’s Minor Home Repair serves about 110 households annually. The repairs range from roof replacement to minor carpentry repairs. It is unclear if the 48 people who listed this as a need would meet the eligibility criteria of the program.

Food Security

There were approximately 115 respondents who listed food security as need. This is not surprising given the impacts of the pandemic: According to a study done by the University of Washington and Washington State University, Washington residents reported an increase in food insecurity and food assistance since the beginning of the pandemic.

8 In the study, 10% of Washingtonians reported food insecurity prior to the pandemic and 27% reported food insecurity during the pandemic. There was also an increased need for food assistance over the same period.

8 WAFOOD2_intro_brief9_20210701_v2 (uw.edu)