Homeless Intervention and Prevention
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Winter Daytime Shelter, Closing March 15th
Winter Daytime Shelter, located at the First United Methodist Church, 1607 East Division, Mount Vernon will be closing on Wednesday March 15th. This is due to the fact that funding has run out at this time. For information on alternatives at this time, please contact our Homeless Support Services Director on the Support Services page.
Immediate Financial Need for our Homeless Support Services Program. This program encompasses our Essential Needs, Peer Support, Winter Daytime Shelter, and our Year-round Overnight Safe-parking Programs. Donate or volunteer now.
We Miss You Mama Bear
We are terribly shocked and extremely saddened to announce the very sudden and unforeseen passing of Cora Dell Steinhauer on the morning of December 2nd, known to many as Mama Bear. She was a member of the Welcome Home Skagit board, as well as the wife of President and Executive Director Curtis R. Steinhauer. She loved everyone she meet and was a major advocate for those who are unhoused or at risk of becoming so. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her. If you wish to honor her, please make a donation in her memory. We miss you Mama Bear!
Emergency Weather Day Shelter
Because most of us at Welcome Home Skagit have experienced living on the streets, we know how devastating extremely cold weather can be. As a result, many of us ushered in the new year by hanging out with our friends who still live on the streets. An emergency weather day shelter for our homeless community was hosted by The Mount Vernon SDA Church and Managed by Welcome Home Skagit between December 27, 2021, and January 7, 2022. During this time, we served a total of 20 people. We offered prayer, compassion, hot meals, and a warm safe place for people to rest their heads.
Although each individual who stepped foot through those doors touched my heart, one particular instance stands out the most. Tired, cold, and seemingly defeated, a young couple arrived with two small children. They were living in their car with no place to go for warmth. Little did they know that less than two hours later they would leave the building with a new sense of hope; a precious commodity not always easy to grab ahold of in such circumstances. BUT GOD had a plan for this young family all along.
We immediately initiated an intake with Family Promise. From there an interview was scheduled for the very next day. However, if they were accepted in the program, no space would be available until the following week. We then contacted Friendship House and were able to get them a hotel voucher until space became available at Family Promise. Only through the collaborated efforts of each of these entities and the grace of God was any of this possible.
Thank You to Skagit County Emergency Planning and Skagit County Health Department for your coordinated efforts and quick planning during this emergency weather event. Thank you, Skagit Transit, for faithfully providing transportation to and from the church every two hours that first week of snow. Thank you to the Community Action Street Outreach Team, The Skagit County Sheriff's Office, and the Mount Vernon Police Department for getting the word out and being the front-line workers who daily battle homelessness in Skagit County.
Thank you to Nancy Brown who hand delivered all the food that was provided by Tri- Parish Food Bank. Thank you to all the Volunteers who jumped at the opportunity to serve when you saw the need. Thank you to Family Promise and Friendship House for providing such needed programs within our county. Thank you to the Mount Vernon SDA Church for your compassionate hearts which led you to open your doors. Most importantly, THANK GOD for putting it all together!
The collaboration and teamwork that was demonstrated by so many individuals and organizations is an awesome example of how much can be accomplished if we coordinate our efforts and resources to meet the needs at hand. May many more of our unhoused neighbors find hope, courage, and shelter as we work together to make our community a better place!
By Sarah Vogt
Director of Homeless Support Services
Welcome Home Skagit
#ENDHOMELESSNESS
