The St. Vincent DePaul Ministry (SVDP) building at 315 W. Third St. has been the location of the winter warming shelter for the last 12 years. It was started by a local committee to meet the needs of the unhoused in our community, to provide a warm place to sleep out of the winter weather from Nov. 15 through March 15.
It operated when temperatures were at or near freezing, or when there was snow on the ground. The committee made use of the SVDP building free of charge, and provided volunteers to staff it on the nights it was open. During the first year of COVID-19 in 2020, it was necessary to close the shelter. In 2021, the SVDP board was asked by the City of The Dalles at a late date to reopen. We took on this very challenging task, which required testing, masking and distancing protocols. From December 2021 through March 2022, we were open 64 nights and provided shelter for 661 guests. We had financial support from both the city and Mid-Columbia Community Action Council. Safe operation became overwhelming for our small staff and board members.
When it first operated, the warming shelter was staffed from a pool of more than 120 community volunteers. Last winter, we had a small mix of volunteers and paid staff. Many of the previous volunteers were unavailable due to COVID concerns. In the past couple years, the growing year-round need for adequate day center services for the unhoused has become the central concern and focus of the SVDP staff and facilities.
Our mission is to provide daytime shelter from the elements, laundry and bathroom facilities with showers, and an afternoon meal on weekdays to augment the Bread & Blessings breakfast and the Community Meal dinners on Friday through Sunday. We also provide referral for a range of services in the community as well as basic personal supplies and clothing as needed.
Due to this shift in the central mission of SVDP to a Day Center, we will not be able to operate the extreme weather shelter in the future.
It is our hope to return the operation of this vital project to a group or organization in the community that would have free use of our ministry building as in the past.
In addition to the free use of our facilities, we can provide access to the needed sleeping cots and supplies. We implore the community to take on this important mission. The only missing pieces are leadership, sufficient volunteers and some basic training.
The what, why, when, and how is ready to roll. “Who?” is the only question.
For more information, questions or suggestions please call Courtney Crawford at 518-524-1936.
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