HOUSING SERVICES

Helping individuals and families without stable housing achieve housing stability,
growth and improved well-being, and places of belonging in the community.

LCSNW Housing Navigator Jenny Roodzant (left)
with client Christine Hatton.

Client Story

This single mom found housing with LCSNW's aid. “Sometimes people just need a little help to get through life’s traumas.”

Christine Hatton never imagined that she, her teenage daughter and their Australian shepherd would live in her car for several weeks, mixed with occasional stays on people’s couches or the breakroom at one of her jobs.

Fortunately, they gained a foothold on the path to stability with help from our Greater Puget Sound (GPS) District housing support team in Snohomish County, Washington.

What Christine describes as a “messy” divorce fraught with abuse caused them to leave their home and support systems in North Carolina for the hope of a new, safer life in the Pacific Northwest. Within days of arriving mid-November 2024, the housing she thought she had secured with family fell through. “We got here on a Thursday and by Monday we were homeless.”

Christine was fortunate she could transfer the job she had at Walmart. To make ends meet, she immediately started working at the Marysville store up to 15 hours a day during the busy holiday season. Her co-workers showed kindness by inviting Christine’s daughter to sometimes sleep in the employee break room during Christine’s frequent overnight shifts.

A school counselor referred Christine to Jennifer Roodzant, a Housing Navigator with GPS Housing services in Everett. Christine had already contacted the 211 Snohomish County Coordinated Entry service that helps find resources for people experiencing homelessness. Jennifer helped walk Christine through the qualification process, complete forms, and look for housing she could afford.

"More than anything, Jenny was reassuring, encouraging and kept me on task. I had a teenager looking up at me who was trying to be supportive while being terrified of our situation. I couldn’t have done it without Jenny’s help to stay strong and organized.”

Jennifer is equally impressed by Christine’s motivation and optimism to better her life. It’s one reason that they were able to move into an Everett apartment in January. Christine qualified for reduced rent and a lower deposit that were just enough help to get them through the immediate crisis.

“It almost never happens that we can find ongoing housing for people that quickly,” Jennifer said. “But Christine worked hard to make it happen. Sometimes people just need a little help to get through life’s traumas.”

Today, Christine’s future looks brighter. She is working two good jobs, one at Cocoon House for homeless teenagers. “I’m grateful I can support kids my daughter’s age since we know what it’s like to be homeless recently.”

GREATER PUGET SOUND HOUSING ASSISTANCE

Leader Profile

Christopher Ross

It is my honor to serve as President of Compass Housing Alliance after returning to the organization in 2024. Having served on Compass’s board from 2016 to 2017 and as Chief Operating Officer from 2018 to 2021, I strive to live out Compass' mission every day.

Rev. Otto Karlstrom founded the organization that would become Compass Housing Alliance in 1920. What started as a reading room for men became the foundation on which we have steadily built, now offering emergency services, shelters, and affordable housing.  

Presently, Compass is coping with challenges related to the national political landscape as well as the financial pressures facing local and state governments. Yet what binds us to this work is an unwavering commitment to the people we serve. Through wars, recessions, and economic transformations in the Pacific Northwest, we have stood for helping our neighbors in need.

We carry forward our mission especially for the most vulnerable and disproportionately underserved members of society, including people experiencing homelessness, seniors, low-income and working-class households, members of the LGBTQ community, immigrants, people with mental differences, veterans, and people who have simply fallen on hard times.

In the months ahead, Compass Housing Alliance is excited about our next chapter, which will include being fully integrated into Lutheran Community Services Northwest. Weaved of the same fabric as LCSNW and founded by the same Lutheran pastor, Compass places the service of our community as our highest priority.

We look forward to integrating LCSNW programs such as behavioral health, family support, and programs for aging people into our service delivery model, while also exploring how we can expand affordable housing options throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Better lives mean better communities. Together with LCSNW, Compass Housing Alliance looks forward to doing our part to ensure we realize our guiding statement: Everyone deserves a place that they can call home.

LEARN MORE ABOUT COMPASS HOUSING ALLIANCE