Above: A homeless person sleeping mid-day in plain sight on Columbia Street last month.
The People's House: Shelter Discussion on Wednesday
By
Janine Unsoeld
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com
Coordinators
for The People's House, a proposed low barrier homeless shelter project that
will provide day and night services to chronically homeless adults, will host a
public forum on Wednesday, February 19th, 7:00 pm in the sanctuary of Temple
Beth Hatfiloh, 201 8th Ave SE, in downtown Olympia.
A
presentation for a 40 bed low barrier shelter for
the homeless, now proposed to be located in downtown
Olympia, will include ample time for questions and answers.
The
People’s House is a project of Interfaith Works, a 501c3 nonprofit.
Coordinators assure that the facility will be a safe environment, and monitored
by trained, paid, qualified staff.
In
a February 3 email from Meg Martin, program director for The People’s House, Martin
announced the first installment of a video series that will be used for
community outreach, engagement and education as the group continues to secure a
downtown site for the shelter.
“As
we pursue finding a location that we can call home, we have started initial
outreach to surrounding neighbors and businesses of 113 Thurston St. NE. This
is a starting point for dialogue. We are prepared for on-going outreach and
communication to ensure that we are a positive and necessary piece of the
puzzle for improving downtown. Thank you all so much for your time and
consideration.”
In
the 15 minute video, at www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb11cjXTwoI
The People’s House project coordinators Meg Martin, Cassie Burke, and Jefferson
Doyle present their case, and the need for a community low barrier shelter.
“Homelessness
is a complicated issue and The People’s House is one essential component of a
solution,” says Burke in the video.
The
shelter will service a diverse audience in need: adult men and women, couples,
elderly, pet owners and service animals, overflow clients from the Safeplace
domestic violence shelter, members of the LGBTQ community, and those with
mental health challenges.
The
facility will offer a community space, garden and kitchen, bathroom, shower and
laundry facilities, internet, hygienic supplies, personal storage, a physical
mailing address, and in partnership with Capital Recovery Center, offer a place
to receive mental health support.
In
the video, homeless advocate Selena Kilmoyer says the shelter is ideal for 2014.
“It’s a downtown hub of hope and solidarity which is so dramatically needed.”
“It’s a downtown hub of hope and solidarity which is so dramatically needed.”
Current
statistics proving the street community’s needs are being supplied three ways: a direct survey conducted last year of the
street community, a gaps analysis conducted by Thurston County homeless
coordinator director Theresa Slusher, and the most recent “point-in-time”
Homeless Census count.
In
the video, Anna Schlect, housing manager for the City of Olympia, says 686
folks were counted in the most recent survey conducted in January.
“Over
one-third were unsheltered – that means they had no emergency shelter…they
could be living in cars, under bridges, abandoned buildings, out in the open…that’s
a lot of people that have no roof over their head.”
Other
homeless advocates featured in the video include Renata Rollins, a City of
Olympia-related Downtown Ambassador, several downtown business owners, Sara
Pete, senior librarian at Olympia Timberland Library, and Thurston County
commissioner Karen Valenzuela.
A
list of 52 downtown businesses is mentioned in the video as supporters of The
People’s House.
Sara
Reilly, owner of Darby’s Café, located on 5th Avenue, says downtown
businesses are used as a day center, as many buy a cup of coffee to “rent space”
to sit and rest, and get warm. She says The People’s House will help take the
pressure off downtown businesses.
There
are many reasons why Olympia has become a hub for the homeless of Thurston
County, including the fact that it is the state capitol, with Intercity Transit
providing regional, multi-county access and the national Greyhound bus system,
both of which brings homeless people downtown from other places.
In
a telephone conversation this afternoon, Martin said nothing regarding the
actual location of a low barrier shelter is set in stone, and said that The People’s House
in downtown Olympia is a step in the right direction.
The
People’s House welcomes private donations. Donations may be sent via mail to:
Interfaith Works, PO Box 1221, Olympia, Washington 98507, noting that your
donation is intended for The People's House. Donations may also be made online
via PayPal at www.interfaith-works.org.
For
more information or ways to get involved in The People’s House, visit their
website at www.thepeopleshouseoly.org
The
Thurston County 10 year Homeless Plan is at: http://www.co.thurston.wa.us/health/sscp/PDF/2010-Ten-Year-Homeless-Plan-Executive-Summary-20101207.pdf
