HERO House NW faces 30% state cut as Everett clubhouse pushes for visibility

Justin Grimett described himself as a nomad for years, moving locations every few months and starting over. That pattern broke in 2023 when he joined HERO House Everett, a clubhouse for adults with mental illness. He wrote about the shift in a letter read aloud at an open house on Thursday, noting that he went from homelessness to a stable life, a steady relationship, and a job he maintains daily.

The Everett location at 1901 Wetmore Ave. operates Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is one of four clubhouses in Washington state run by HERO House NW. Membership is free for anyone over 18 with a history of mental illness. Inside, members share duties such as cashiering, managing emails, and cooking meals alongside staff. The organization’s employment program helps members find temporary work or refine skills for current jobs.

The financial pressure began in July when the Washington State Health Care Authority reduced funding for HERO House NW by approximately 30%, according to CEO Kailey Fiedler Gohlke. She said the cuts have constrained the organization’s ability to grow its employment and housing initiatives in Everett.

“It’s really tough because our whole model is predicated on staff and members working side by side, and it’s community-based,” Fiedler Gohlke said. “We help people combat isolation.” The organization was established in Everett in 2019 by Meg McClure and her husband, Harold McClure. Meg McClure said they opened the site after learning about the Bellevue clubhouse and seeing the need for non-clinical daily support, especially because her son lives with mental illness.

“We tend to see the solution as being clinical, and there is a place for that, but they also need a place to make their own decisions, make their own choices and start to build confidence in themselves,” she said.

Fiedler Gohlke is now prioritizing community partnerships to offset the loss. She said funding is harder to secure in Snohomish County than in King County. In King County, a 0.1% sales tax partially supports HERO House, and the state negotiates Medicaid plans through a single entity. In Snohomish County, the organization must negotiate separately with each of the state’s five Medicaid plans.

“We always talk about the clubhouse being the best-kept secret, and I cannot stand that because it shouldn’t be a secret,” Fiedler Gohlke said. “It should be so known in the community.”

Julia Smith, an employment specialist at the Everett clubhouse, expects an increase in participants when new Medicaid work requirements take effect in January. She noted that more than 40% of current members already hold jobs or attend school.

“If the goal is to get people back to work, you would think that programs like ours would be flush with cash,” Smith said. “.. We have so many members who want to work.”

At the Thursday event, the organization showcased recent renovations. Member Jeannee Carr said she lacked self-confidence and motivation when she first arrived. It took her nearly a year and a half to feel comfortable. “As it started to happen, my world began to open up more and more,” she said. “.. I started talking to members and began building friendships. My will to live returned, and it lit a fire under me.”