SWHC Partners: Join the Team! Good Cheer Whidbey Island Nourishes (WIN) Island County Dept of Social Services Langley United Methodist Church, Calvary Chapel Ryan’s House for Youth Opportunity Council, Veterans Resource Center St. Peter’s Lutheran Church Helping Hand Nichols Brothers Boat Builders Trinity Lutheran Church Windermere Whidbey Saint Hubert’s Catholic Church Readiness to Learn Unity of Whidbey Island Alternative Medicine
Please fill in, tear out, and return to: South Whidbey Homeless Coalition PO Box 744, Freeland, WA 98249 swhomelesscenter@gmail.com
SWHC Warming Center at Langley Methodist Church to be open when temperatures get below o 35
Help us make homelessness a brief and rare experience in our community.
Each house of hospitality is different, especially adapted to its particular environment. However, we have modeled our vision after Friendship House in Mount Vernon.
Name____________________________ Mailing Address ___________________ City, State, zip_____________________ Phone____________________________ Email ____________________________ Please check: Call me by phone to schedule a visit Accept my tax-deductible gift of $__________ (make check out to Unity of Whidbey/SWHC) Record my pledge of $_______/month for _____ years Sign me up as a volunteer for the following services: _________________ ________________________________ ________________________________
Friendship House's Transitional Housing Program is for residents who need extra time to gain stability and save money. The houses are run in an egalitarian manner, with additional oversight from our Transitional Housing Manager. Residents may live in transitional housing for up to one year. Friendship House currently operates two houses in Mount Vernon.* * Text adapted from http://www.skagitfriendshiphouse.org.
816 Camano Ave., Langley “discard common stereotypes… There’s a good chance those struggling with homelessness are people we know, people we count as friends or are former neighbors. We bump into them at the grocery stores, their kids go to school with our kids.” – South Whidbey Record, Nov 19, 2014
We are seeking to purchase the House of Hope in Langley. This house, a vision of Judy Yaekel and the result of her quiet philanthropy, enriched lives in South Whidbey for 30 years. The South Whidbey Homeless Coalition (SWHC) is continuing her work.
We are applying for a mortgage and have raised $34,000 for a down payment. But we need $50,000 more. The executor of Judy’s estate has given us until early March before he puts the house on the open market. We have received an Island County grant of $40,000 to operate the house in coordination with the Island County Coordinated Entry Program. The Mayor and the South Whidbey School District have given us enthusiastic support. The City Planning Department has approved our use of the home with relatively few upgrades. This camp provided shelter for a local homeless woman last Summer.
What is a House of Hospitality? A house of hospitality provides a temporary, safe living situation for those individuals in our community without permanent shelter. Homelessness is accompanied by trauma of one kind or another and we believe that healing of the mind, body and spirit may best be accomplished within the structure of a loving, supportive environment. There is freedom here to address the specific issues faced by people in transition. There will be a full time House Manager, SWHC Board President Judy Thorslund, on board at all times, as well as residents who come up through the ranks and are able to take on added responsibility. There also will be pro-bono case managers available from our coalition and other volunteers from the larger community. Some residents will also be involved in social services case management.
Before arriving on Whidbey, Madeline had been without a permanent home for 2 years, her friend Graham for 7. During the Summer they lived in a tent near Coles Road. When Winter set in, they took refuge in a friend’s living room for several weeks. Graham and Madeline would have qualified to stay in the Hospitality House, but there were no such facilities on South Whidbey. They have moved on; although Madeline may return to take advantage of our hospitality and services when they become available… “I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life,” Madeline said, “…except not to be homeless.”* *South Whidbey Woman Shares Story of Homelessness, Kate Daniel, South Whidbey Record, Jan 3, 2015
In the local conscience, the need to address homelessness on Whidbey Island should be addressed through County government, non-profit agencies, churches, schools and volunteers. But there are no emergency facilities or shelters in the South Whidbey area. Some people have been provided for on a one-off basis, redirected to Oak Harbor or have gone off-island. Yet school data suggest there are over 80 homeless children in the South Whidbey School District. Good Cheer estimates that there are 400 people without a bed and of these, 50% are families. These are our neighbors. It is up to us to provide.