WAGAP Warming Shelter opens with a new operating model

The new operating model for the shelter works in partnership with local lodging facilities. Clients will register with shelter staff daily to receive a lodging voucher and check out the following day per the lodging facility check-out policy. This shift will give clients more time inside out of the cold weather than last year with lodging this year allocated earlier in the day and check-out times later the next morning.

In Skamania County, clients must register in person each day they need services between 3-6 p.m. at the WAGAP office at 683 Rock Creek Drive in Stevenson.

In Klickitat County, clients should call the warming shelter’s phone line, 509-281-1129, each day they need services between 3-6 p.m. for instructions. They will be referred to lodging options in either Klickitat or Hood River counties during their intake process.

On days that the WAGAP offices are also open, this new system will allow clients to interact with other departments and receive a broader range of services, said a press release.

“The result is that it will make the Warming Shelter more efficient and more effective,” said Jessica Van Leuven, WAGAP’s homeless housing outreach coordinator.

“Last year was our first time operating a warming shelter, and we learned a lot of lessons,” Van Leuven said. “We found it took a lot of manpower to staff an overnight facility, and it was challenging to maintain the necessary level of staff and volunteers and during those winter months.”

Staff will screen all clients for basic needs upon intake. Clients will be provided essential hygiene supplies, food supplies, and clothing as available. Anyone at risk or experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 will be referred to appropriate healthcare.

The WAGAP Warming Shelter phone line for all clients is 509-281-1129 and will be staffed from 3-6 p.m. each day. During hazardous weather events, the team will be on-call 24 hours per day. This exception occurs when the weather is so severe it constitutes an immediate or imminent threat to the life and health of anyone sleeping outside.

A combination of factors will determine hazardous weather conditions. Conditions include a significant accumulation of snow, accumulation of ¼ inch of ice, predicted temperatures at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit after sunset, or when wind chill temperatures are predicted at or below 20 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours or more.

The bulk of the funding for homeless services throughout the year comes from the Washington State Department of Commerce, Division of Housing and Homeless Services. WAGAP was awarded a two-year grant covering Skamania and Klickitat counties for $200,000. Some funding also remains from last year by the SW Washington Community Foundation and the Skamania County Homeless Housing Council covering seasonal shelters and showering facilities.

Van Leuven said providing services to the homeless population throughout the year is a community effort. The need for volunteers is reduced this year, but the need for donations will continue. She has the necessary supplies to launch this year’s services but has limited storage capacity, so she plans to put out occasional notices when supplies are in demand.

Email jessica@wagap.org for any questions about donations or other volunteer opportunities.