HomeMy WebLinkAboutShelter Coalition Meeting 012125Shelter Coalition Meeting
January 21, 2025
Present: Lara Gaasland-Tatro and Apple Martine - Health Dept., Trevor Breland - Bayside Shelter Manager, Daniel Lee and Trevor Green - Bayside Shelter Hosts, Beulah Kingsolver - Dove
House, David Ehnebuske., Debbi Tesch, Derek Allen, James Holthaus - Bayside, K. Keplinger - EM, Pat Jaap - Dove House, Tanya Barnett - YMCA, Thomas Olsen, Viola Ware, Steve Evans -
COAST, Peggy Webster - Olycap, Daniel Lee - Bayside Shelter Host, Scott Clark - shelter resident
CareAVan - 2/4 at Woodley PLace 11-3 for people to get vaccinations. It will be covered in the Leader. Fliers are available. Bring it to Brinnon and Quilcene - need community based organizations
to host. Viola - having advocates reach out and encourage vaccines. (Flier at the end of minutes) They come in a van but do require an indoor sanitary place to give the vaccines. Need
a physical indoor place. Julia requests the Health Dept. or the County work with them to get it at / inside DSHS. Apple with Greg’s assistance is willing to reach out!
Viola - Olycap Housing Director - conversation with Commerce to change/transition the underfunded CBV stage 3 - bring in community build to assist with 15 tiny shelters (slightly bigger
for families) and for medical respite, and a congregate building with 16 or so beds.
Peggy - Olycap Caswell Brown Stage 2 (the lower campus) will have a sanitation building where the bathroom trailer is, and a Commons Building. The trailer that is there will be rehabbed
as the community/commons building.
At the fork in the road there will be an office building for their manager and hosts. On the upper site - Caswell Brown 3 - they will have cash in hand by early April to build the tiny
shelters. We will have to rent a sanitation trailer for the new tiny shelters that will get hooked in to open by June 30th. These buildings are funded and designed and starting the
permitting process.
The Congregate Shelter which is not yet designed or permitted, will have bath and kitchen facilities. Modular construction. Will open eventually.
Bath and showers - will they only be open for CB residents? This is a conversation with Terry - Olycap’s shelter manager. 5 shower bathrooms including an ADA, family bathroom. 3 washers
and dryers. It would be
similar to the park model like at the Fort Worden Beach. Bathrooms would be gender neutral. The bathrooms will be open eventually. There will be water - portable showers etc. The current
shower trailer is beyond its life!
Steve Evans - COAST - recently had a board meeting! COAST is possibly ending its life. There is money. The Upper Site will be replacing the American Legion shelter. Rumor - the guest
will have to leave every day with their stuff? They are purchasing 40 sheds for individual storage. The guest will have to leave daily, but details are not worked out.
Viola - this will be an overnight shelter to start. The County has not said that they will fund operations - so it may be left to commerce who has told them to reduce their budget by
20%.
Steve -COAST's concern is that people will have to clean up their space and not know if they will have a place the next night. COAST would like people not to be burdened that way.
Peggy - details are being sorted out. Olycap is willing
Fridge at the current shelter is down. At Waste Not Want Not - there is a double door fridge - COAST is working on it. (Update - COAST will try and repair the fridge that is at the shelter.)
Beulah - Dove House brings up the issue of building a new congregate shelter rather than more humane answers, and one easier to maintain and fund.
Kitchen - can people cook their own meals and do their own laundry without supervision???
Viola - in order to build a building with individual rooms is way more expensive. This is the option that we have, is funded and can work. There are also limited options for a low barrier
shelter.
This is a plan we can do. Otherwise we won’t make the date of July 1, 2025.
Beulah - What does your entry way look like - kind and caring? Is your kitchen set up so guests can cook? And we, Dove House Shelters, are not staffed 24/7. This is what Dove House is
doing. All best practices - Housing First means substance abuse, and police calls - go down. Privacy etc. allows people to heal. We need more conversations about looking at other options.
Viola - if you are bringing in folks with SUD and mental health issues. Both congregate and tiny shelters will give some people privacy, families with children. Not disagreeing that
we want to be trauma informed.
Steve - COAST - there is a balance being struck between privacy and community. We were struck with the community that has formed down at the American Legion. It is our concern that Tiny
Shelters without a congregate facility will lead to solitary confinement and expelling them each and every morning without knowing if they can come back. We are trying to replace an
emergency shelter - what are the minimal needs that the people and the community needs?
Viola - change happens with relationships.
Scott Clark, shelter resident - came to PT almost a year ago. My mental well being has changed a lot in the past year. Recently Bayside has allowed people who don’t live there to come
in and videotape them. It was considered to be a safe and stable environment. Since Bayside runs it - we don’t feel respected. And when people complain they are told to deal with it.
It's turning into Serenity House in Port Angeles. Feels like he is going to have to move to another town and start over.
Next meeting: February 4th 11:15
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