The Shelter Community

 
 

When you are homeless the hardest thing to find, and the most important, is a safe place to sleep.  Without a good night’s sleep, it is almost impossible to solve any of your other problems. The shelter community goes a long way to relieving this barrier to progress.

In 2021 the shelter community provided 16,651 nights of care to 221 individuals.

The Shelter Community, managed by the Walla Walla Alliance for the Homeless, provides a safe place to sleep for about half of the valley’s unsheltered homeless population. On most nights, about forty-five people find respite there. Some of the residents are employed, but at jobs that do not support the high cost of housing here. Most of the others have disabilities or mental illnesses that make any normal employment difficult. Without other options, the Shelter Community allows them to get a safe, full night’s rest. If you’re interested in finding out more about the Conestoga huts at the shelter community, visit this link.

  • The Participants

    If we have vacancy, the shelter community welcomes anyone who is at least 18 years old, homeless, and can obey a few simple rules. It is different from many emergency shelters: Clients are assigned hut that is theirs for as long as they stay. A lockable bin provides storage for belongings so clients don’t have to cart them around with them. It is barrier free, allows couples to stay together, and accepts pets.

    Because some clients stay at the shelter community for a period of time, a sense of community has developed. Evening conversations are much like you would hear in any household, beginning with “How was your day today?” Many think of each other as part of their new “family.”

  • The Volunteers

    The shelter community is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is staffed by Alliance volunteers 7 nights a week, until 10 p.m. After 10 p.m., security is onsite until 9 a.m.

    Volunteers register new clients, assign them a hut, provide them with warm bedding as needed, and make sure they understand the few rules of the camp. When a client leaves the shelter community volunteers remove the used bedding so that it can be washed, and make sure that the hut is clean and ready for its next guest.

    Volunteers provide a stabilizing force within the shelter community. Although they ensure the rules are obeyed, they are more like a mom or a dad than a security or police officer.

  • The Conestoga Huts

    Thirty-seven Conestoga huts form the backbone of the shelter community. The huts are 6 feet by 10 feet inside with standing head room, and have a covered porch. The door is lockable, providing privacy as well as an important measure of safety. An operable window in the rear wall provides ventilation. The huts are completely weatherproof, even in strong winds, heavy rain or snow. They are insulated on all sides, but not heated. The huts were designed in Eugene, Oregon and have been is use there for four years.

    Once a hut is assigned to an individual (or couple), it remains theirs as long as they are on site at least five days per week. The shelter community has overflow beds which are assigned on a first-come daily basis while a person is waiting for a hut assignment.

    The shelter community has two modular buildings. One provides office space for staff and a common meeting room for residents. The other has restrooms and showers.

    There are no cooking facilities in the shelter community, though local groups often will bring a prepared meal to serve. Hot water and coffee are available at all times.