Clark County Community Services, with assistance from staff at the Vancouver Housing Authority and the City of Vancouver, selected Catholic Community Services of Western Washington to operate a non-congregate shelter near the Vancouver Mall, a press release from the county said.
Catholic Community Services is an outreach arm of the Catholic Church that provides programs, shelters and services for poor and vulnerable people in Western Washington.
To find possible operators of the new shelter, Clark County Community Services issued a request for applications until Feb. 5.
A review committee composed of staff from the county, city and the Vancouver Housing Authority provided recommendations for an operator in late February. Services are expected to begin by early June.
The release said the Vancouver Housing Authority acquired the site to be used as a shelter early in February. Prior to the Vancouver Housing Authority’s acquisition, the building operated as a Howard Johnson hotel. The new shelter will be called Bertha Cain Baugh Place and will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Being a non-congregate shelter means households will have their own room and restroom.
Referrals to the shelter will occur through the county’s coordinated entry system. In addition to providing basic shelter services, Catholic Community Services will also connect and engage residents with services and community supporters that address their physical and mental wellness and help them secure stable housing.
“Emergency shelter plays an important role in the homeless crisis response system by breaking the cycle of homelessness,” Clark County Community Services Director Vanessa Gaston said in a news release. “It can be a transformational component to a system that tries to meet people’s basic needs while quickly moving them towards long-term stability.”
Funding for shelter operations will come from a variety of state, federal and local sources.
Once funds to operate the shelter are expended, the Vancouver Housing Authority plans to convert the facility into affordable rental housing for the community.
