What Is North Star?

North Star is a public-private partnership uniting local governments, first responders, housing and healthcare providers, and other community leaders in a shared effort to address homelessness and behavioral health challenges.

For too long, communities have tried to tackle issues on their own. too many people continue to struggle, and too many lives are impacted. It’s time to shift from managing this crisis to solving it, and the only way we can do that is by working together.

By pooling resources, coordinating services, and connecting fragmented systems we’re helping people get the housing and care they need more efficiently and effectively.

North Star’s collaborative approach is more effective, costs less, and gets people the support and services they need, when they need them.

On any given night, more than 500 people are experiencing homelessness in Skagit County.
Only 50% of households earning the county’s median income can qualify for a mortgage on a median-priced home.
More than 4,100 calls looking for help are made every month to our region’s behavioral health crisis hotline.
There’s a 127-bed shortage at mental health and substance use treatment facilities in Skagit County.

Our Priorities

We’re here to connect fragmented systems so we can all do more to help our neighbors get on a path to self-sufficiency. By coordinating across Skagit County, we are more effective, efficient, and provide the help people need.

Here’s how we plan to disrupt the status quo and build thriving communities throughout Skagit County.

Community-Based System of Care

We’re working together to coordinate our crisis response, expand recovery support services, and increase the capacity, access, and coordination of behavioral health care across our community.

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Stable and Safe Housing

We’re facilitating access to diverse housing options by building a pipeline of affordable housing and making pathways to housing faster and easier to navigate.

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Who’s Involved

North Star’s leadership team includes the Mayors of Skagit County’s four largest cities and three Skagit County Commissioners. A multi-sector Steering Committee and several task forces of experts and community members provide guidance to this leadership team.