Overflow shelters now open for winter

The reflector

The Council for the Homeless announced that the Winter Hospitality Overflow (WHO) and Satellite Overflow Shelters (SOS) in Clark County are now open to provide additional nightly accommodation seven nights a week for people in need of temporary housing.

According to a press release, access to emergency shelters is via the hotline of the Council for Homeless Housing at 360-695-9677. The apartment hotline is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on weekends and public holidays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The night shelters are open from November to March and offer additional space on the coldest nights of the year, the statement said. The shelter sites offer a total of 73 Clark County places each night.

The WHO’s location at St. Andrew Lutheran Church, 5607 NE Gher Road, Vancouver, serves families, single women and couples, the statement said. The WHO location at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 1309 Franklin St., Vancouver, serves single men.

SOS accommodations alternate regularly between Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, 12513 SE Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver; Immanuel Lutheran Church, 8310 MacArthur Blvd., Vancouver; and River City Church, 2400 E. 4th Plain Blvd., Vancouver. They welcome families, couples and singles.

Site volunteers are working with staff from the Outsiders Inn and Share of Vancouver to operate the nightly accommodations with COVID-19 precautions, the press release said. Guests receive meals and access to basic necessities and supplies.

“Not only do the sites meet the most urgent needs of guests, but they also work within the homeless welfare system to ensure that guests receive the wide range of accommodation and support services that our community offers,” said Kate Budd, Executive Director of the Council for the Homeless, in publication.