A tent, the floor of a public restroom, inside a portable toilet, on a relative’s couch.
That’s where some had spent previous nights trying to stay warm and dry.
But not this evening.
Tonight, they have a roof over their heads, comfortable cots, plenty of blankets, bathrooms, snacks, fruit and a spread of magazines, puzzles and games to pass the time.
Before entering the fellowship hall of Oak Harbor’s Christian Reformed Church, they were all homeless.
Stepping inside, they are “guests” of the Haven, the city’s first emergency shelter that opened April 13.
“This is my first night here,” says Farrah Lynn, rummaging through a suitcase holding her few possessions. “I slept on my nephew’s floor last night. But you can only do that for so long.”
Four men, four women and one child stayed this past Tuesday. The nightly average is about 10.
“I was scared to come here because of the whole stigma of a shelter,” admitted one guest, a single mom spending her fourth night with her son. She requested anonymity for their safety.
“But it blew me away how different it was from what I expected. It’s very clean and quiet. A lot of the people staying here are respectful and the volunteers are amazing.
“It’s been a wonderful experience considering the circumstances.”
Managed by the non-profit organization Whidbey Homeless Coalition, it’s funded through county grants and private donations, and staffed by two employees and rotating volunteers.
Many organizations, clubs and churches are stepping up to provide volunteers but more are needed, said Faith Wilder with Whidbey Homeless Coalition.
Spin Cafe, a downtown drop-in center that provides free dinners three nights a week, serves as the Haven’s check-in center. People are shuttled by vans to the church starting at 6:30 p.m., and then returned to downtown in the morning after 7 a.m.
“I am very thankful and excited this has finally come to exist,” said Fran Stevens, a member of the Christian Reformed Church congregation that voted to be the first to house the Haven.
Discussions with community groups, government agencies, faith-based centers and concerned neighbors about opening a year-round homeless shelter in Oak Harbor started about one year ago. That group met earlier in the day Tuesday to hear about the opening weeks of the Haven.
“The picture driving around our streets is unchanged,” Wilder stated as she began the meeting. “This doesn’t solve homelessness. This is a safer way to be homeless.”
The plan is to rotate the shelter around local churches in 90-day segments until a permanent location is established.
The Haven’s 30 cots, bags of bedding, containers and shelves of supplies and food are put away each morning, then pulled out again every evening.
It’s almost a stealth operation, appearing and disappearing without a trace, Stevens observed.
“Others in the congregation say they wouldn’t have known anyone stayed overnight,” she said, “that’s how nice things are kept inside and outside the building.”
Mitch Rowley and another guest who gives his name as Sam, play cards, argue over rules of Crazy Eights, and occasionally duck outside for a smoke.
They got to know each other over the winter. They and other men from Oak Harbor rode back and forth on Island Transit buses to get to the warming center at Langley United Methodist Church.
Open only when temperatures dipped to 35 degrees or below, it was used 44 nights and closed the end of March.
Before the Haven opened, Rowley said he sought refuge in a post office that stayed open all night. After getting booted, he came up with another 24-hour survival routine.
“Spin Cafe until 6 p.m., laundry mat until 11 p.m. and then haul my butt to the Port-o-Potty in the park and stay there all night. Pitiful, right?”
Rowley uses a walker to get around since being hit by a car. He said he’d been evicted from an Oak Harbor apartment complex contaminated by black mold.
“I get $733 in social security disability benefits every month,” Rowley said. “But hell, I can’t live on that with the rents around here and I can’t find anyone willing to live with me.”
Before guests arrived, shelter manager Shawna Pinder points out emergency exits and fire extinguishers to first-time volunteers Marilyn and Ted Rogers.
Quickly, they learn how the Coleman cots unfold, then carry out bags of bedding marked with names of guests who are frequent visitors.
Pinder shows them the coffee pots.
“I make two pots in the evening and two pots in the morning,” she says, “that usually is enough.”
By 6:15 p.m., an older woman is asleep on her cot, covered in blankets, recovering from an illness.
The previous evening, an ambulance was called for her when she couldn’t stop vomiting. She was given anti-nausea medication, a volunteer says.
On another night, a guest was asked to leave for smoking marijuana, a violation of the rules that state no alcohol, no drugs, no paraphernalia on site, no weapons, no sexual activity, no violent aggressive speech or behavior.
By 8:15 p.m., the little boy has changed into his super hero pajamas and been tucked into his cot. It’s set up under a scene of a baptismal, painted on the wall.
In his hand, he clutches a brand new red Etch-a-Sketch board. A volunteer had bought it for him and personally delivered it earlier that night.
“He just said to me today, ‘Mommy, we’re homeless,’” his mom softly reveals. “It’s just sinking in for him. We’re homeless.”
• The Haven is in need of fleece blankets, paper cups, bowls, spoons, cleaning wipes and deodorant, said manager Shawna Pinder. Volunteers are also needed, training is provided. Teams of two are on duty at night and one must be awake at all times. Call 360-977-1200 for information.
Randy Brown, left, rolls a cigarette as Mitch Riley checks his latest hand of cards. The two men were part of nine guests who stayed at the Haven shelter at Christian Reformed Church Tuesday evening. Photo by Patricia Guthrie/Whidbey News-Times
Shawna Pinder, manager of the Haven shelter, sorts out food and other supplies before guests start arriving at Christian Reformed Church fellowship hall Tuesday evening. Photo by Patricia Guthrie/Whidbey News-Times
A little boy goes to sleep clutching a red Etch A Sketch board given to him earlier in the day. Photo by Patricia Guthrie/Whidbey News-Times
