Next week, Oak Harbor will host a town hall meeting regarding SPiN Cafe, a nonprofit organization that provides resources to homeless and low-income individuals.

SPiN Cafe, an acronym for Serving People in Need, opened in 2012, offering a safe, welcoming space with hot meals, daylight shelter and other services.

About four months ago, Mayor Ronnie Wright approached the SPiN board of directors for a meeting to answer questions about community concerns, said Michele Hines, SPiN executive director. At that time, the city suggested the nonprofit facilitate a town-hall-type meeting to provide an appropriate avenue for community questions.

Wright said the public forum is to bring awareness to the community.

“The goal of this meeting is to listen to SPiN Cafe’s presentation, share perspectives and work together toward solutions that benefit Oak Harbor,” he said.

Community complaints have increased in recent months, Hines said.

“We moved to the new location about a year ago, and it’s much more visible,” she said. “The homeless population and our program is much more visible right now, and people form their own opinions as to what we do without actually coming to me and asking me.”

SPiN Cafe is currently in the former Washington Federal building on Southwest Barlow Street, in the midst of a busy commercial area.

Hines said there is a fraction of the community that is chronically vocal about SPiN on social media. Often what she sees are unsubstantiated rumors, and she hopes this meeting will give an opportunity to clear things up.

One thing she often sees and hears is that Seattle “buses” homeless people to Oak Harbor, or that SPiN requests more people to serve for Homeless Management Information System reporting.

“Those two ideas are absolutely 100% false,” she said.

Oak Harbor does not receive buses of homeless people, she said. People do come to the day shelter and night shelter from off island, and they are often turned away due to lack of resources and services.

SPiN Cafe’s mission is centered on offering a hand up, not just a handout, by providing a safe space where guests can access support services and receive a meal.

Phoenix Welch, a SPiN patron, said that she wishes community members enter the meeting with empathy.

“I hope that everybody comes to realize that not all of the homeless community is dealing drugs or anything like that,” she said. “Some of us are just down on our luck.”

Oak Harbor’s homeless people are unique and struggle on a case-by-case basis, said Nick Coloso, another SPiN patron. He hopes the community comes in willing to have a dialogue and that their minds aren’t already made up.

SPiN leaders will give a presentation and answer questions from the community.

“We want it to be positive interaction,” Hines said, “but we are prepared for negative public comments.”

Both Welch and Coloso mentioned how much worse their lives would be without SPiN.

“There’s no shortage of good people here,” Welch said. “Everybody who works here is great for the community. We’re very thankful for them.”

The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. on December 4 at City Hall.