Warm beds will be available for the homeless late this winter whenever the weather is extremely cold, rainy or windy.
The Interfaith Association of Snohomish County has received a $50,000 grant for a severe-weather shelter and for shuttling people to the shelter.
“At least this gives us a starting place to get people into services and give them a safe place for the night,” said Janet Pope, Interfaith’s executive director. “Doing this will have a huge impact on families.”
The emergency shelter will likely be open starting in February, the earliest the money will be available, Pope said.
The Interfaith Association hasn’t determined which weather conditions would cause the emergency shelter to open. The association will likely mirror Seattle’s severe-weather criteria – temperatures below 35 degrees, a half-inch of rain or more predicted overnight, and strong winds, Pope said.
The Seattle shelter is open 12 to 18 nights a year, she said.
She is searching for churches and other community groups willing to host those needing shelter for several nights a year. The grant would pay for food, supplies, training volunteers and other setup needs, Pope said. The Interfaith Association would also supply the beds.
“It’s a pretty minimal time commitment,” she said. “A group of four or five volunteers could commit to a few nights a winter.”
The need for temporary shelter is greater this year, Pope said.
As of October, 15,212 adults and children had been turned away from shelters in Snohomish County this year due to a lack of space. That puts the county on pace to exceed 2003’s total of 15,882, Pope said.
“We’re sure to top last year, probably going well over 16,000” and possibly hitting 18,000, Pope said.
Last year, 86 percent of those who sought shelter were families with children, she said. Offering emergency shelter during severe weather will help get those families get through the worst outdoor conditions, Pope said.
The bigger challenge is finding long-term, low-cost housing for those adults and families, she said. hat’s increasingly difficult to find, Pope said, noting that people are staying in emergency shelters now longer than they did in 2000.
The Interfaith Association runs a shelter for families, but it’s always full, and in the winter the staff is forced to turn away hundreds of families seeking help.
“You hear it in their voices that they’ve called everybody else and nobody can help them,” Pope said. “They’re frustrated, scared and sad. And there’s no place for them to go.”
Reporter Katherine Schiffner: 425-339-3436 or schiffner@ heraldnet.com.
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