WASHOUGAL — Construction work is moving along at Salvation Army’s new facility in Washougal. That’s to be expected, though, since the Salvation Army is installing a building that came from the international nonprofit’s Bellevue branch.
It’s cheaper and faster to install an already existing facility than to build a new one. But, for many of Salvation Army’s clients on Clark County’s east side, it’s not fast enough.
After the old building at 1612 I St. was torn down, social services had to be scaled back because there is not enough space to offer all of them in the adjacent chapel, said Ministry Leader Samantha Wheeler. Although she looked into renting another space, landlords weren’t interested in a short-term lease. Work on the new building should be finished sometime this summer.
On Tuesday, the Salvation Army set up tables of free bread and pastries in front of the chapel. Other food is being distributed out of the prayer room. The blessing room, where people can get free clothing and household items, is on hold until the new building opens.
“People are bemoaning that fact. Every day it’s ‘When are you guys going to have the blessing room?’ ” Wheeler said.
When the new, larger building is complete, the blessing room will triple in size. The old building could fit inside what will be the fellowship space — a large area that will be used for recovery meetings, potlucks and other events. At the old facility people often had to wait outside or were turned away due to lack of space. The new Washougal branch will continue offering space for home schooling, counseling services and utility assistance.
“It’s just going to expand what we already have,” Wheeler said. “We’re increasing where we saw a need.”
One of those needs that the Washougal Salvation Army is filling: A hygiene center that includes a shower, washer and dryer. The lack of showers and laundry facilities has been lamented countywide by people in the homeless community. When the Washougal facility is complete, people could take a shower, get new clothes and a hot meal all in the same trip. Some people experiencing homelessness live just a couple of blocks away by the Washougal River.
Besides the new building, the chapel is being remodeled and the parking lot reconfigured. Wheeler said the total cost is under $1 million.
In 1997, Wheeler, who was working at the Salvation Army in Vancouver, was tasked with opening a new branch wherever it was most needed in Clark County. After a lot of research and prayer, she decided on Washougal because it was considered underserved by social service agencies. The Salvation Army began renting the chapel and the adjacent house that had been used as a parsonage by the owners.
Unlike other Salvation Army locations, the Washougal branch started as a church first and then evolved into providing social services.
The location is independent of the Vancouver branch and provides services based on community need. Clients are Camas and Washougal residents who are struggling or are on fixed income, as well as people experiencing homelessness.
Less than a year after opening as a church, the congregation began offering food boxes and clothing. The Washougal Salvation Army’s two paid employees are Wheeler and her sister-in-law, Jessica Wheeler, who run the place with assistance from 15 volunteers. About 150 to 200 people attend church services offered Saturday nights and Sunday mornings.
Aid to increase
The building at 1612 I St. was purchased two years after the nonprofit moved in and has undergone maintenance work since then, but this building project “is the first major project where we’re really expanding,” Wheeler said. When it’s complete she anticipates a 30 percent increase in services.
Wheeler said there will be a grand opening sometime in late summer.
