A former Sunday school building that houses homeless men in the winter was transformed into an overnight shelter for women on Thursday. St. Paul Lutheran Church in downtown Vancouver aims to have all 12 beds set up today.
Volunteers were busy Thursday morning sweeping rooms, hanging donated clothing, filling closets with blankets and towels, and washing the bedding that was stripped from the men’s beds just hours earlier. Nine women were signed up to stay the first night, along with two dogs.
Geri Hiller, who works at the church, arrived at 4:30 a.m. to say goodbye to the men who have used the church as part of the Winter Hospitality Overflow shelter program.
“The guys were very excited that the women are coming in, even though they were having to move out,” Hiller said.
For years, St. Paul and St. Andrew Lutheran Church have hosted the annual WHO program, which runs Nov. 1 through March 31. Its annual closure means fewer warm places for homeless people to sleep.
“That means we have 99 less beds in this community,” said Amy Reynolds, deputy director of Share, the nonprofit operating shelters in Clark County.
“Eighty-seven,” said Mick Johnson, president of St. Paul’s council. “We’ve got 12 back.”
St. Paul is serving as a sort of pilot; the temporary overnight shelter, called Women’s Housing and Transition, or WHAT, will end when WHO starts up again in the fall. If WHAT is successful, other churches may become interested in hosting homeless people in a similar way.
“Part of it is going to be the experience of the church. Other faith-based communities are going to be looking to St. Paul’s,” Reynolds said. “What did this mean for your congregation? Was it inspiring? Was it taxing? What kind of effect should we expect? Has it changed what happens in the church and what the day-to-day looks like? Does it cost you any money? All concerns that a church might have.”
Clark County Community Services is paying for the shelter, estimated to cost about $110,000 over the seven months it’s in operation. That includes building materials, the $2,300 in rent Share will pay monthly to the church for rent and utilities, and part-time staff members.
Having paid staff makes it more expensive, but allows the program to reach women with mental health and substance abuse issues who might not otherwise be able to get into shelter, Reynolds said. For instance, women can stay there even if they’re intoxicated when they arrive. The shelter is also allowing women to bring pets.
A church shelter is much cheaper and faster to put together than building a new permanent shelter, Reynolds said. Hiller’s son, Chris Hiller, built room dividers that create semi-private spaces for the three women sharing each room. Everyone gets sleeping pads, bedding and totes for storing belongings, which were already on site from WHO. Sinks were installed in a of couple rooms that had plumbing.
There’s a shower, laundry room and hospitality room. Clients won’t be able to cook, though, because there’s no commercial kitchen. Instead, they will get snacks and coffee, and be sent to nearby Share House for meals.
Hiller said several organizations worked together to make the women’s shelter a reality and that the church wouldn’t have been able to do it on its own.
“This is a strong part of our mission at St. Paul. It just makes sense where we are,” she said. “God has a plan for us. We just need to be open to move it, even if it’s not always in our comfort zone.”
In 2015, the Housing Solutions Center turned away 512 individual women who were in need of housing, Reynolds said. People are looking at the number of people who can’t get into a shelter to determine how many more shelter beds are needed.
“If this — or when this — is consistently full it will reinforce that need, (and illustrate) that we don’t have enough of a safety net in this community,” Reynolds said.
Historically, Share has had eight beds for single women since the nonprofit began operating two family shelters in 1996. At times, other organizations and programs have temporarily added spaces, but the eight beds have been the most consistent, Reynolds said.
A couple of years ago, Share wasn’t interested in adding shelter, but was more focused on permanent housing, she said.
“Sadly, we have so many people who are experiencing homelessness right now who do need more shelter,” she said. Homelessness evolves and while single women have a significant need right now, it could be another population that’s in dire need down the road. “We’ve certainly learned to be nimble and to look at things that way.”
Reynolds hopes to have a tax levy put on the November ballot that, if approved, would help provide funds to build shelter or housing.
