Laura Ellsworth, Council for the Homeless 2019-2020 SWS Summary of Severe Weather Shelter Services
Winters in the Pacific Northwest are dark, rainy, and cold, and the winter of 2019/2020 was by all accounts, just that. There were no major snow or ice events, wind storms, or otherwise noteworthy happenings, just plenty of long, dark, wet and cold nights. This past winter, Council for the Homeless called severe weather on 35 nights, down from 49 the winter before. Severe weather is called when temperatures are forecast to drop below 32 degrees, or there is freezing precipitation.
Once again, over 50 of communities of faith and community groups stepped forward to provide hospitality, hot food, warm beds, and safe places to sleep for our unhoused community members this past winter.
The Winter Hospitality Overflow (WHO) shelters at St. Andrew Lutheran Church and St. Paul Lutheran Church, in partnership with Share, served 264 adults, and 46 children for a total of 10,782 safe sleeps from November through March, during the WHO season. This was the 17th consecutive year for the WHO. People from a variety of faith communities volunteer to make sure the doors remain open and everyone feels safe.
The severe weather shelters hosted at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, and ReFuel/St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Washougal, sheltered an additional 315 adults and 16 children. Overall 821 nights of safe sleeps were provided. The severe weather shelters serve as an overflow to the community’s existing shelters, including the WHO.
Living Hope Church, another severe weather shelter, provided 60 beds to over 400 people throughout the course of more than 20 nights this past winter. The church welcomed people who are unhoused throughout the night, providing low-barrier access and support, especially on the coldest nights.
The additional winter and severe weather shelter cannot happen without the time, energy, and talent of many dedicated volunteers. For some, like Carol, who began volunteering for the WHO, and then helped open a severe weather shelter at her own church, Beautiful Savior Lutheran, volunteering brought an opportunity to provide comfort and connection.
Carol shared that one night a father and his 5-year-old daughter arrived to the church in “sudden” circumstances and without any personal belongings. When it was time for bed, there were tears in the child’s eyes, and she asked her daddy where her jammies and toothbrush were. Finding a toothbrush was easy, but a nightgown for a small girl? Carol was so relieved when she looked in the church’s clothing bin, and found a perfect nightgown for a little girl, and she was thrilled to give it to her. The daughter danced and twirled in her “princess” nightgown, and the father’s look of gratitude stays with Carol to this day. The opportunity to provide a basic need like shelter, gives so much more indeed.
For volunteers Dick and Mary at Immanuel Lutheran Church, the high point of their winter volunteering efforts came on Dick’s birthday, which happened to be on a Friday morning. On Fridays Immanuel volunteers provide a pancake breakfast for the guests before they head out for the day. Always a fan of these breakfasts due to the connection and fellowship shared over a hot stack of pancakes, Dick was especially moved when word got out about his birthday. During breakfast the entire room broke out into a Happy Birthday song for him.
For anyone interested in volunteering for severe weather shelter, and beyond, as there is a year-round need, you can visit the coordinated volunteer sign-up for all the shelters: www.outsidersinn.org/sws. Dick encourages everyone to try it out. Rebecca, another volunteer at Beautiful Savior encourages folks with any kind of interest and availability to sign up. There are many shift times available and a variety of tasks to perform that will appeal to all types. Rebecca cherishes the stories she’s heard and the people she’s met, who, at perhaps the most challenging points in their lives, are willing and grateful for the simple human connection that a warm, safe place to sleep at night provides. Rebecca shared that she witnessed people in transition from homelessness to housing, and from hopelessness to hope.
As we move from winter to spring, in this new COVID-19 world, it has never been more evident that shelter and housing is vitally important to everyone in our community. CFTH is so grateful for the faith communities, partners groups and individual volunteers for meeting the vital needs for our most vulnerable neighbors.