Source: My Bellingham Now Photographer: Dave Walker
Re: Funding Decisions | 2025-2026 Biennial Budget
Honorable Members,
In 1976, well-intentioned individuals organized to end youth and young adult homelessness.
Today, on behalf of our staff, supporters, and community, I thank you for stewarding Whatcom, the county I call home.
My name is Lance Jones He | Him, I live in Geneva, and it’s my privilege to serve as Interim Chief Executive Officer for Northwest Youth Services, an organization serving 1,205 individuals in 2023.
Not unlike the young people our community entrusts us to uplift, our organization presently navigates through moments of trauma, introspection, and transition.
Our work centers the County’s most-marginalized 13-to-24 year olds; as such, we must hold ourselves to the highest standards of ethics, service, care, conduct, and operation.
Like our young people, we seek champions to help manifest a bright, impactful future for Whatcom County.
To accomplish this, we must shine an honest, intentional light on tomorrow’s direction, today’s footsteps, and yesterday’s footprints.
As Interim Chief Executive Officer, a primary element of my duty is to harvest growth from any past missteps or misdirection.
We have fallen short.
We are doing better.
Council members, we ask that you continue your belief in the work of Northwest Youth Services; your funding shelters, nurtures, educates, feeds, and empowers.
You need not act solely on faith; we are taking thoughtful, definitive actions to rebuild trust, embrace accountability, and center the needs of our young people:
In addition to commissioning both an independent investigation and audit of HR practices and policies, our Board of Directors is actively recruiting new members representative of our geographic and service footprints;
We appointed an Interim Senior Director of Culture & Compliance to identify systemic challenges and opportunities;
We re-established core mission focus by sunsetting “Lincoln Street,” a visionary but misaligned development project;
We lowered expenses and flattened our organizational structure by sunsetting the “C-Suite,” terminating select contracts, and offboarding personnel;
To ensure grant compliance, consistent and reliable data reporting, and the best outcomes for our young people, we are digitizing our tracking of day-to-day programmatic operations;
And, we continue to gain perspective and feedback through countless hours of conversation with our young people, current and former staff, supporters, program partners, elected officials, funders, and community members.
The Council has expressed an interest in understanding our process.
Prior to my public comment, you will find invitations to connect with me and members of our Board in your inboxes; we are happy to exchange and dive deeper into our Sustainable Progress Plan, which extends beyond the aforementioned and builds from the tenets of Knowledge, Trust, and Stability.
Throughout, 49 dedicated, professional staff continue to process their own trauma and feelings while providing unceasing care and empowerment for Whatcom County’s youth and young adults.
As the days grow wetter, darker, and colder, all of Whatcom’s young people need us.
They need you, Honorable Members of the Whatcom County Council.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
In service,
Lance E. Jones
Interim Chief Executive Officer
Northwest Youth Services
Make Your Impact Today.
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