Fentanyl deaths climb in WA as nonprofit fights to save lives
SEATTLE - The fentanyl crisis continues to devastate communities across Washington state, with overdose deaths in King and Snohomish counties on pace to tie or slightly surpass last year’s totals.
So far this year, 439 people have died from fentanyl-related overdoses in King County compared to 786 in all of 2024. In neighboring Snohomish County, 111 people have lost their lives compared to 219 in all of 2025.
In the heart of Everett, one nonprofit is fighting to turn the tide—one life at a time.
Mike Kersey, president of Courage to Change Recovery Services, has been sober for 25 years. He and a small team of volunteers offer rides to detox, transitional housing, and unconditional support to people caught in the grip of addiction.
At Courage to Change, they live by a motto: Don’t shoot the wounded.
What they're saying:
"I don’t care if they’ve called me six times, and I’ve gotten them in and out of detox six or seven times—and that has happened," Kersey said. "We try to help them no matter what. Love them where they’re at."
That compassion is rooted in experience. Kersey knows the stakes. In the last 18 months, fentanyl has claimed the lives of several friends and clients.
"Every single one of my friends is either smoked out, dead or in prison," said one client, Kersey, drove to detox.
He says by the time someone calls for help, they’ve often overdosed multiple times.
"Very seldom do I find someone who hasn’t overdosed," Kersey said. "And that kind of scares them maybe a little bit—and they want to get some help."
The other side:
But getting help isn’t easy. Christina Anderson, vice president and cofounder of Courage to Change, says state insurance often doesn’t cover enough time in detox for fentanyl.
"We’re chasing our tails because the drugs are new every day," Anderson said. "Even the clients are surprised with what they have in their system."
Fentanyl, often laced with xylazine and other substances, requires longer detox periods than traditional opioids like heroin. Yet Anderson says most clients are forced out before they’ve stabilized.
"They haven’t found that clarity yet. So, they’re still detoxing," she said. "And there are physical consequences and mental consequences. And they’re struggling."
To fill that dangerous gap, Courage to Change opened a transitional housing program called Nick’s Place, named after Nick McGlashan—a friend who lost his battle with addiction in 2020. The home can house 16 men between detox and treatment. It costs the nonprofit $10,000 a month to operate, plus several thousand dollars in fuel costs to pick up clients from across the region—from Oregon to the Canadian border.
"You know, the sad reality is we need help. And however we can get that help, I don’t care," said Kersey. "We see people out on the street dying, and it’s time to end it somehow."
Why you should care:
One loss hit particularly hard: Jenna Williams. She was doing well—healthy, housed, and full of hope—until she relapsed.
"She was actually one of our houses for a while," Kersey recalled. "The last picture I had of Jenna, we’d gotten her into housing in Everett. She was doing amazing. That photo was taken in the back alley as I was delivering some of her stuff. They found her passed away in her vehicle about six months later."
But for every Jenna, there is a story of recovery.
"We do have a 65% success rate from when they come into Nick’s Place and leave—if they stay sober," Anderson said.
Dig deeper:
She shared before-and-after photos that show a staggering transformation. "They look like a completely different person from when Mike picks them up in the van to when they come out of Nick’s Place 90 days later. And that’s what keeps us going. They’re truly miracles."
To Kersey, clients aren’t just numbers—they’re family.
"I consider them family and friends," he said. "A lot of these guys don’t have any family. They don’t have any friends left. Our motto is ‘Love them where they’re at—and love them until they can love themselves.’"
For Kersey, Anderson, and their team of unpaid volunteer drivers, this isn’t a job. It’s a mission.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle anchor David Rose.