Clark County Council approves $15 5 million to address homelessness columbian.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from columbian.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Operator selected for new homeless shelter near Vancouver Mall
Published: March 5, 2021, 6:02am
Share:
Catholic Community Services of Western Washington has been selected to operate a noncongregate shelter near Vancouver Mall for people who are unhoused.
The soon-to-be shelter was formerly a Howard Johnson hotel. The Vancouver Housing Authority acquired it in February to convert the property into a shelter, which will be called Bertha Cain Baugh Place.
The selection, announced Wednesday, was made by Clark County Community Services, with assistance from staff at Vancouver Housing Authority and the city of Vancouver.
Catholic Community Services is an outreach of the Catholic Church that provides programs, shelters and services for the poorest and most vulnerable people in Western Washington.
Clark County seeks applications for Community Action Advisory Board thereflector.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thereflector.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
On Tuesday, Dec. 8, Clark County Community Services announced that it is partnering with the Vancouver Housing Authority (VHA) and the City of Vancouver to open a shelter for unhoused people in the community.
According to a news release, all three entities will contribute funds to the shelter and Clark County Community Services will oversee a contract with a yet-to-be determined nonprofit. As of Tuesday, the VHA is still working on acquiring a site for the shelter.
The shelter will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week and will be non-congregate (households utilizing the shelter will have their own room and restroom facilities).
In Our View: Fight against homelessness benefits all of us The Columbian
Share:
The closing of a Motel 6 as a homeless shelter in east Vancouver exemplifies an ongoing issue in Clark County. The battle against homelessness has been marked by good intentions resulting in stopgap measures, with the latest effort coming and going amid a coronavirus pandemic.
County officials this year rented the Motel 6 for use as a shelter, recognizing that homeless populations are particularly vulnerable to the pandemic. An original contract ran through June at a cost of about $600,000, paid for by a state Department of Commerce grant; after that, the Clark County Council approved the use of federal CARES Act funds to continue using the hotel as a shelter.