The Bremerton City Council continued its conversation about funding for shelter services and affordable housing at its Jan. 28 study session.

At the end of last year, Kitsap County officials reached out to Mayor Greg Wheeler about funds for The Salvation Army. The letter was then sent to City Council. “As we cannot afford their requested costs into 2026 with reduced federal funds, and the city has refused to contribute, the county can only afford to fund night shelter operations starting Jan. 1,” the letter from the Kitsap County Administrator read. “This restores their shelter services to pre-COVID levels. Our new contract extends these services to June 30 and will require $300-$500k, this time from the county’s reserves. The board (of commissioners) will review the funding of this program in early 2026 and decide their approach toward these services from July 1 on.”

City Council did not receive the county’s email until late December, after the governing body’s last meeting of the year. Council president Jane Rebelowski shared that the council had not previously been engaged in conversation with the county about developing a funding plan to ensure ongoing operations at The Salvation Army, despite references to coordination in the letter.

“After learning that the county’s decision could lead to layoffs and other challenges for The Salvation Army and the individuals they serve, efforts were made to explore short-term options to help keep services in place at the start of the new year,” said Rebelowski. “This included conversations with the Bremerton Housing Authority (BHA), state legislators, and Salvation Army leadership. The hope was that a portion of the city’s previously obligated shelter funds could be used temporarily to support continued operations, with the possibility of replenishing those funds through future state resources.”

Essentially, BHA determined this option not feasible due to significant funding constraints in a letter sent from Kitsap County to Wheeler and the council Jan. 14.

“BHA clearly stipulated that the proposed hybrid model they are willing to lead is specific to the Sheridan parcel site, with no flexibility to relocate it to another location or less costly shelter model. BHA also confirmed they would be unable to redirect any funds committed to them to another organization, and suggested that if the City Council wanted to direct any portion of the funds to another organization, the agreement with BHA would have to be terminated,” said Rebelowski.

Council discussed Jan. 28 that the county had asked for a commitment of $1 million annually for ongoing operational funding, but said it is something they are unable to do. City Council has funds that are currently committed to shelter services, but the funds must be spent by December.

“It’s important for folks to see we are committed to this. We need to find the thing we can stand on to show our commitment to this problem,” said Councilmember Michael Goodnow at the study session.

On Jan. 28 council decided their next steps were to draft a letter to the county regarding shelter funding.

There was also an update by city attorney Kylie Finnell, who shared that the city is continuing to work on allocating funds to programs like Eagles Wings Coordinated Care, a nonprofit providing transitional housing for Kitsap County. Finnell emphasized that this is a new $200,000 and not in any way being taken from the shelter project with BHA on Sheridan.

Rebelowski shared how Bremerton provides the highest number of affordable housing and shelters for the homeless community out of all of Kitsap County, and that the council is committed to doing what it can to help.