The event opened with a blessing by Tanna Engdahl, spiritual leader of the Cowlitz Tribe, and closed with a drum ceremony.
The opening of Nám’u qas, the Cowlitz word for “to wish or hope,” will provide much-needed housing for youth exiting foster care and youth experiencing homelessness in Clark County. According to a 2022 state study, 17 percent of youth who exited foster care became homeless after one year.
If someone who ages out of foster care doesn’t have the opportunity to remain with their foster parents, they must find their own housing.
“Imagine being 18 to 24 and lacking the safety net of family … and trying to navigate or avoiding or transitioning to homelessness,” said Joan Caley, Vancouver Housing Authority board of commissioners chair.
“What chances for earning a livable wage are there for you if you need to take the first unskilled position you can get just to survive?”
Through a three-year grant, the Firstenburg Foundation will provide $25,000 a year to provide supportive services such as caseworkers to Nám’u qas residents.
Nám’u qas is also funded through the Department of Commerce, Vancouver Housing Authority and Cowlitz Tribe. The city of Vancouver’s Affordable Housing Fund contributed over $1.17 million to the project.
Although Janus Youth Programs director Scott Conger said a facility like this rare, it’s the second of its kind in Clark County.
Caples Terrace, another affordable building that houses youth exiting foster care in Clark County, opened in 2019. It’s primarily studio apartments, which poses challenges for residents with children, said Caley.
Nám’u qas contains one- and two -bedroom units for residents and their families as well as an indoor children’s play area.
The main hallways are lined with colorful original artwork from local artists such as Cowlitz Tribe member and muralist Sarah Folden.
“Our prayer is that this new space will be more than just walls and ceilings, but a sanctuary of hope and new beginnings for those who make a home here,” Engdahl said.
