Frequently Asked Questions

North Star is a public–private partnership bringing together local governments, service providers, first responders, and other community leaders to tackle homelessness and behavioral health challenges. We are sharing our resources to get better outcomes and save money.

We’re on a mission to build more effective, integrated systems to address behavioral health needs and end homelessness and create a thriving Skagit County.

We believe in a community where every person has safe, stable housing and equitable access to essential services, including mental health support and substance use disorder treatment.

• Building an effective community-based system of care by coordinating crisis response, expanding recovery support services, and strengthening behavioral health services.

• Ensuring access to stable and safe housing by building a pipeline of affordable housing and making pathways to housing faster and easier to navigate.

It is rare for a county to pool resources with surrounding cities and partner with non-profits and the private sector to tackle homelessness together in one community for greater impact.

North Star recognizes that no one jurisdiction can solve complex issues like homelessness and behavioral health alone. An aligned and collaborative approach that streamlines essential services, leverages resources, and addresses housing needs - that spans across jurisdictional boundaries - is more effective, efficient, and ensures that individuals receive the care and housing they need.

Unlike traditional siloed approaches, North Star facilitates coordination across sectors, including housing, crisis response, treatment, and recovery services, leveraging shared technology and strategic alignment to deliver effective community-based care and facilitate housing that meets our community’s needs.

North Star fills critical gaps not covered by Medicaid or other state funding sources, such as Accountable Communities of Health (ACH) and Behavioral Health Administrative Services Organizations (BH-ASO), ensuring that essential services and supports are accessible where they’re needed most.

For years, an increasing number of public resources have been used to support a growing population of individuals experiencing chronic homelessness, yet outcomes have seen little improvement. Due to complex health needs, many unhoused individuals cycle through expensive, taxpayer-funded services such as jail, emergency rooms, and first responder teams. Instead of addressing the root causes of homelessness and promoting long-term recovery, this crisis-driven approach pulls vital resources away from efforts to improve overall wellness in Skagit County. By focusing on the needs of chronically homeless individuals with co-occurring disorders, we can relieve pressure on critical staff and systems, and more effectively invest in sustainable, long-term solutions.

North Star is led by the Leadership Team, a collaboration of three county commissioners and four city mayors from across Skagit County. 

An Advisory Group of diverse individuals with unique subject matter expertise and lived experience helped guide and inform North Star’s work the first few years. Currently, a Steering Committee, composed of elected officials, tribal communities, and community leaders from health care, helps advance North Star’s strategy, sustainability, and community engagement. 

Task Forces, including the Housing Task Force, the Recovery Task Force, and the Co-Response Task Force provide subject matter expertise and make recommendations for strategy development and implementation.

To learn more about who is involved in North Star and what guides our work, visit northstarskagit.org/what-is.

North Star was established to address the escalating crises of homelessness and behavioral health in Skagit County. With over 500 individuals experiencing homelessness on any given night, a 127-bed shortage in mental health and substance use treatment facilities, and one of the lowest vacancy rates in Washington State, the need for a coordinated, cross-jurisdictional response was urgent.  North Star launched in July 2022, when the four cities in Skagit County - Anacortes, Burlington, Mount Vernon, and Sedro-Woolley - partnered with the County to create a unified, regional response to homelessness and behavioral health challenges.

North Star’s development and implementation have been supported primarily by federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, supplemented by local sales tax revenue. 

The current annual budget is approximately $500,000 allocated by Skagit County which includes additional ongoing expenses related to care and coordination software (Julota), staffing, technical assistance, communications, meetings, and events.

Since 2022, we’ve built the foundation for North Star – engaging community leaders, assessing where our public-private partnership can be most effective, and starting real work on the ground improving community-based care, and driving more safe, stable housing. Long-term solutions to behavioral health and housing challenges take time, but here are some highlights of what we’ve done so far:

• Improved coordination and care through updates to the Coordinated Entry system and adoption of Julota, a shared case management platform now used by first responders and behavioral health providers to better support individuals in crisis.

• Led the development of Martha’s Place, offering 70 units of permanent supportive housing for individuals experiencing homelessness with co-occurring disorders. Pooled $24M from State, County, and City sources for construction and operations.

• Expanded the Skagit STAR Center by 48 beds, increasing local capacity for intervention and treatment services for adults with substance use and mental health needs. Leveraged $24M in state funding from the Washington Legislature for support expansion.

• Hosted a countywide symposium with 250+ participants and national experts to deepen collaboration on systems change, treatment, recovery, and housing policy.

• Launched a Housing Call to Action, resulting in targeted updates to zoning codes and development regulations to increase le housing supply; efforts continue to align policy and promote development of more affordable housing.

• Invested in peer workforce development through evidence-based trainings and a peer-learning collaborative to increase peer effectiveness, support their well-being, and connect them to the broader care continuum.

• Implemented a standardized radio log code (STAR) across all city and county first responder teams to identify behavioral health-related calls and evaluate co-response team deployment.

• Proposed a regional approach to utilize Opioid Settlement Funds for collaborative projects, such as short-term transitional and recovery housing, to expand safe housing options and strengthen recovery services across the county.

• Supported Recovery Cafe Skagit in developing and implementing a recovery support voucher program to provide basic needs (e.g. housing, dental services, food, transportation, licensing, etc.) to those in recovery.

Long-term solutions to behavioral health and housing challenges take time, but they’re within reach. To keep us accountable to deliver on our mission, we’ve adopted a three-year strategic plan. Here are our next steps in that journey.

North Star plans to continue expanding and aligning our systems for coordinating people on the front lines to more effectively serve people in crisis. We will continue to expand resources to support individuals on their journey to recovery and stability, and facilitate an increase in the availability of housing options.

Tell your friends and neighbors about North Star, share our stories and updates in your social media channels, and attend our annual symposium to learn more about places you can continue to get involved in our community.

Sign up for email updates at northstarskagit.org.