How is Marysville Addressing Homelessness?

The City of Marysville has a Law Enforcement Embedded Social Working (LEESW) to address issues of homelessness related to behavioral health and addiction. I didn't know much about it before starting my research and I wanted to share this information with you all as well!

The following information is taken directly from the City of Marysville LEESW website. Check it out for yourself and read more about the new IMPACT Program being piloted in 2021 as well.

The mission

The mission of the Law Enforcement Embedded Social Worker (LEESW) Program is to help clients navigate the complex social service system and to remove the barriers that exist between addiction and homelessness, to sobriety and housing.

The focus

The main focus of the Marysville LEESW Program is to help the homeless community battling with addictions and mental health issues while decreasing barriers, providing resources and finding alternatives to their current situation.

The goal

The goal is to have individuals in need enter, engage, and successfully complete the necessary steps to be able to have a secure residence and return to being stable, productive, and healthy individuals.

The process

The LEESW Program teams make contact with clients in a variety of ways, including: on the street, via officer referrals, through the Snohomish County and Marysville jails, and camps. No two encounters are the same, but there is a process that the Embedded Social Worker Program teams follow when making contact with clients. It is as follows:

1. Multiple contact with homelessness individuals with addiction and or mental health issues.

2. Build trust and develop an individual game plan for a pathway to sobriety, improved mental health and overall well-being

3. Insure essentials are in place; I.D., EBT, insurance

4. Complete a chemical dependency assessment

5. Complete mental health assessment if needed

6. Complete detox if needed

7. Complete inpatient treatment

8. Secure housing and outpatient treatment and ongoing support

Progress

Since the program started, the team has engaged with 2,868 people in the community. Of these encounters, we have 472 clients. Many of these now have jobs, housing and renewed family relationships. Some additional statistics:

• Assessments completed – 322

• Detoxes completed – 71

• Mental health evaluations – 30

• Enrolled in inpatient treatment – 160

• Graduated from treatment – 93

• Housing secured – 192

IMPACT

In 2021 we are expanding the Mental Health program through a regional grant in partnership with Arlington and Lake Stevens. The implementation of the IMPACT program will add two shared mental health professionals to patrol responses that deal with behavioral health.

More information on the IMPACT program in Marysville.