courteous to the staff and the other guests. Someone can come in drunk, but they can’t drink while there. Once you’re checked in, you must remain inside for the night, she explains. No weapons. Dogs are allowed. Bikes are OK. “They’re pretty good,” she says. “We haven’t had any incidents yet. Knock on wood.” The man nods along and quietly asks for a sandwich: “I haven’t ate all day.” The men’s center does not serve food. Sampson says the center is still getting organized. They have had a hard time finding people to staff the overnight shifts; many employees stay on after working all day. “We’ve been making do with existing employees,” she says. “We’ve been kind of struggling to get caught up.”
I
n a neighboring building, Glenn Brock and his wife Carrol Ann Harvey-Brock check in at the couples and family warming center. They spread several wool blankets out on the linoleum, then pick through a box of snacks on the counter. “We both came down here to get out of the cold,” Carrol Ann says. “This is a good place. I’ve heard a lot about it.” Glenn heats a cup of tomato soup in the microwave. His narrow chin is accented by a sharp goatee. He keeps his beanie pulled low on his forehead. He says he has been homeless for about eight years. He stays where he can, but this is his first night at the warming center. Carrol Ann has bright eyes and a tattoo of a flower along her left cheek. She says she sometimes stays with family, but Glenn’s not always welcome. She’d rather brave the cold than be apart. As they sit on their blankets spooning soup, they offer their thanks for the open center. Carrol Ann says it brings her peace to have a warm floor for the night. “It’s a good place,” she repeats. “It’s very beautiful.” As the hours pass, more people file into the centers, dragging backpacks and plastic grocery bags of clothes. Sampson notes she has seen most of them before. Many know each other from their time on the streets. “A lot of the same faces,” she says. “You get to know their names. … They’re an interesting group.” Sampson likely will work multiple late shifts this week to keep the center open. In previous years, the centers have drawn as many as 70 people in a night. She can’t say how many they may see this week, but they will take in everyone they can. “You do what you got to do,” she says. “This is important.” A young man from Las Vegas walks in tentatively. Tim Henry says he hopes to hitchhike home, but for now he has nowhere else to go. He collects his blankets and heads for a quiet spot against the wall. “I am really, really tired,” he says. He drops his bags and slowly strips off his gloves, one and then the other. He sits to untie his shoes and kicks them off. Pulling back his cap, he scratches his scalp and pivots into his bedding. Stretching out, he draws his hood over his eyes, lays his head against his duffel bag and drifts off to sleep. n jacobj@inlander.com
DID YOU KNOW... Seizures can often be linked to food allergies. Finding the correct diet based on a pet's overall imbalances is a major factor in elminiating neurological problems in the pets. There are gentler, equally effective means of treatment other than harsh drugs. www.DrDennisThomas.com
HOLISTIC HEALTH CARE FOR PETS Dr. Dennis Thomas, D.V.M. 1707 E. 11th Ave. Spokane
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Dr. Thomas has been a licensed, practicing veterinarian for over 30 years. For more than a decade he has focused on alternative modalities to address pet health care.
DECEMBER 5, 2013 INLANDER 15