Community Cafe Bainbridge

What is the level of homelessness on Bainbridge and in Kitsap County? What's driving the problem, what kind of assistance is available, how effective is it, and what can you do to help? Listen here to learn more... In this 45 minute podcast, BCB host Christina Hulet talks with Kirsten Jewell, Kitsap County’s Housing and Homelessness Program Division Coordinator, and Maria Metzler, Executive Director of Helpline House, about local statistics, issues, services and misconceptions around homelessness. According to data from Kitsap County’s Department of Human Services and Housing Solutions Center, 530 people were without a home in Kitsap County during the 2018 “point-in-time” count. In 2017, approximately 3,200 households in Kitsap needed housing assistance and 1,200 households were classified as homeless. Here on Bainbridge, 116 households needed housing assistance and 25 households were classified as homeless in 2017. Forty of these households included children, impacting a total of 68 kids. The Bainbridge Isla