The Quiet Crisis: How Auburn’s Resource Navigation Program is Facing Senior Homelessness Head On
by Jonathan Glover, City of Auburn’s Communications Manager
When 80-year-old Cecelia Picket Pin tells the story, there is no regret. No blame to go around, and certainly no index to point.
There’s only a hint of sadness. It’s subtle, living in the margins, but it’s there. It’s there when she recounts the first night — just three years ago — she spent sleeping in her car, a small 2007 Volkswagen Rabbit.
It’s there when she talks about her late husband Isaac, a man who 50 years ago immediately warmed himself to her six children. He no longer had a name — “dad” was the only title that made any sense. It’s there when the timeline falls into place, and she gets to the part when Isaac passed — how her senior apartment home raised the rent so high she could no longer afford it. She didn’t want to be a burden to her family, so it’s there when she packs up and moves into 15 cubic feet atop four wheels.
“It’s just one of those things,” Cecelia says, her 17-year-old chihuahua named Dog at her side. He’s trying to bark but it sounds more like a frog in his throat. They’re both tired. “Stuff happens. What can you do?”
But that’s not where the story ends. Because in summer of 2023, Cecelia became one of nearly 1,000 seniors and veterans connected with services through the Auburn Senior Activity Center’s Resource Navigation Program, a taxpayer funded benefit that provides resources for transportation, utility discounts, food access, crisis intervention, case management, rental assistance, and yes, housing.
The program began in 2019 after voters approved the Veterans, Seniors & Human Services Levy in 2017, which added homelessness services to seniors and their families countywide. Voters again approved the levy in 2023, and an application is submitted for funding through 2024 and beyond. Min Feng, who manages the Resource Navigation Program at the City of Auburn, says that since 2019, she’s helped about 500 senior clients navigate housing assistance. With so many resources available, it can be difficult for many to even know where to start.
“Not everybody knows about what’s out there,” Min says. “Especially with the increased use in technology, a lot of the times our seniors are not trained in technology so it’s not easy to navigate for them.”
Dave
The first thing you notice in Dave Farrens’ apartment is what isn’t there — no fancy side tables, no sofa or coffee table and no bed frame. Just a small chair, a TV, a stack of DVDs, and a pile of fishing rods.
It’s not much, but it’s home. And that means a lot to someone who’s spent much of their life outside.
“It’s been good,” he says. “It’s been a blessing. I can say that.”
Dave lives opposite Les Gove Park on M Street in a small complex. The room is small, the amenities modest. His favorite part is the courtyard, where he takes his orange tabby cat Buddy for walks.
Just a year ago, he was homeless, living on the fringes around Auburn. A self-described recluse, Dave preferred to be where nobody else was — so for seven years, he slept in tents, on benches, on sidewalks and in bushes. Wherever he could get away from the noise of it all.
But in 2022, he’d had enough. By that point, he’d spent nearly five years living in his truck, unmedicated for chronic health and mental health issues. His age was catching up to him, too — at nearly 60, there just wasn’t any more abuse his body could endure.
Min worked with the King County Regional Homeless Authority and the City of Auburn’s own outreach team to secure housing for Dave, officially transitioning him to an apartment in 2023. While Dave has his gripes — and who doesn’t — he’s glad to be inside. “I thank god for Min,” he says. “She is in my prayers every day.”
Cecelia
Cecelia loves to read — if the story happened in real life, even better. She’s not picky about the medium; a paper book or on her phone, it makes no difference. Just today, she was reading about a photographer who snapped a photo of a cheetah lying beside him. She’s very happy to show you.
She also loves to watch T.V. and listen to old re-runs of the Price is Right, when Bob Barker was still hosting. There’s just something about him.
But more than anything, she loves to dote on Dog. The small chihuahua can sense when she’s upset and you best bet he won’t let you anywhere near her without speaking his mind. The fact he can’t bark at the moment is completely lost on him.
“He’s my baby,” she says, stroking his head. “He keeps me occupied.”
She’s traded her 15 cubic feet of interior space in her Rabbit for a room at Don’s Place, a converted hotel in north Auburn capable of housing 80, managed via Compass Housing Alliance and partners of King County’s Health Through Housing Initiative.
Don’s Place officially opened in February 2024 and since has accepted dozens of Auburn-area homeless. Cecelia connected with Min in July 2023, and by January was set up with an apartment.
It was the exclamation point on a long journey that began with Isaac’s passing. Sometimes it was good — like when she’d park her car in her daughter’s garage and stay inside. Other times it was bad, like when police caught her sleeping in a parking lot. They’d shine a light through the window and ask her to move. She doesn’t blame anyone for it — but she does fantasize about buying a great big flashlight and doing it back.
“See how they like it,” she says.
Her room today sits on the second floor and faces north, directly towards commercial and warehouse buildings along B Street NW. She doesn’t mind.
Anything, really, beats sleeping in her car. Especially with a lifelong companion nearby.
“I feel so blessed and I appreciate it so much,” she says. “I’m so fortunate. The people here are good. They’re good to us.”
