In Kitsap County. The names of North Kitsap School District students in this article have been changed to protect their identities.
Families in Kitsap County struggling with the loss of a job or stable housing have several resources to help them through difficult times.
Acknowledging the need for help can be tough, but those who seek assistance often find an outpouring of kindness.
“There’s a lot of community awarenes and it’s a caring community,” Jim Stowers of Kitsap Community Resources said.
Kitsap Community Resources opened a new transitional housing facility in Central Kitsap on Jan. 21. Prior to the home’s opening, Stowers sent out a list of supplies he needed. The response was so overwhelming that Stowers now jokes he is afraid of being inundated with a surplus of supplies if he ever asks for more help.
“The response was absolutely amazing,” he said. “It’s really something to be thankful for.”
Kitsap Community Resources has a total of 12 transitional houses spread throughout the county, including one in North Kitsap. The facilities are meant to house families with children for up to 90 days while children for up to 90 days while they secure a more stable living situation.
“We try to take an assessment of where they stand, and try to establish goals, and in that 90 days try to bring them to a place where they’re self-sufficient,” Stowers said. “It’s not just a place to stay, it’s a place to grow.”
Much of the need for homeless assistance is also met by nonprofit groups. Catholic Community Services runs the Benedict House in Bremerton, the only emergency and transitional housing facility in the county for homeless single men and men with children. Saint Vincent de Paul focuses its housing efforts on women in need. Several other organizations offer showers, warm clothing and help with things like utility payments.
The North Kitsap Fishline food bank in Poulsbo, and ShareNet in Kingston provide meal packages for individuals and families. Many food banks have seen an increase in demand in recent years, but not everyone who needs help is willing to ask for it.
“We used to donate for the food bank, now we need to use the food bank,” said Kaley Burns, a student at Spectrum Community School in Kingston whose parents have struggled with unemployment. “But my mom won’t use it. She thinks there’s more people that need to use it than us.”
Asking for help can be humbling, but it can also relieve pressure caused by strained budgets, a concern that’s becoming more commonplace.
“When my mom first used (the food bank), she felt really bad, but then she realized how poor we were, because we barely had 20 bucks to last us the week,” said Ricky O’Brien, a Spectrum student who has experienced homelessness in the past. “I’ve pretty much lived off of food banks and everything else for all my life, even now. It’s just not as much now.”
In addition to food banks, Kitsap County has several feeding programs for people who would otherwise be forced to skip meals. In North Kitsap, First Lutheran Church of Poulsbo hosts a free dinner at 5 p.m. every Thursday. North Kitsap Baptist Church has a free meal from 5-7 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month. And the Suquamish Community Kitchen also offers free food from 5-7 p.m. the last Wednesday of each month.
The Kitsap Continuum of Care Coalition also connects people with homeless and low-income services. On Jan. 28-29, the group teamed up with Americorps and other local organizations to perform an annual “point-in-time” count of homeless people in Kitsap County. The count helps local advocacy groups determine what the community’s needs are and where those needs are greatest. The coalition is still tabulating the final numbers in this year’s count. Last year, they identified 937 homeless people in the county, and they expect a similar amount this year. Those numbers fluctuate often, as people’s situations change.
“Everybody realizes it’s a point in time count, so it’s not a definitive number, even when we get the final numbers,” Coalition Coordinator Terry Schroeder said.
The centerpiece of the count was an event called Project Connect, held at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds. Homeless people and anyone in need of transitional housing were invited to the Kitsap Pavilion to spend the night, receive clothing, blankets and services, and get connected to shelters. Nearly 200 people came to the event this year.
“To me,” Schroeder said, “just having one person say they got the help they needed at that event makes it worth it in my mind.”
Where to find resources
To get connected with a shelter or other services, call Kitsap Community Resources at (360) 478-2301, visit the office at 845 8th St., Bremerton, or contact Kitsap’s Continuum of Care Coalition at (360) 473-2028 or at 1201 Park Ave., Bremerton.
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