It's time to reevaluate, coordinate homeless facilities

It's not overstating to say that in years past, the need for women's and children's emergency shelters has been desperate.

Now, things are changing rapidly — too rapidly, in fact, for social service providers to keep up.

Previously, St. Vincent de Paul and the YWCA's ALIVE facility provided shelter for women and children. In December 2009, they were joined by Kitsap Community Resources, which opened The Family Place for women and children near Silverdale. Early last month, Sally's Camp, an "indoor tent city" opened in Bremerton for homeless families. And within a few weeks, a new facility for women and children, Georgia's Place, will be opened in the Auto Center area by the locally based Weaver Foundation.

At last report, only two families were staying in Sally's Camp, which has a capacity of 17 families. At St. Vincent's shelter, four of 17 beds were vacant. When it opens, Georgia's Place will provide shelter for up to 18 women and children.

But for homeless men, the only shelter in Kitsap County is Benedict House, operated by Catholic Community Services, which opened in 2006. The 14-bed facility, which provides 90-day emergency housing, is currently full and has a waiting list of 20.

The math on all this doesn't add up very well: 20 homeless men waiting, and at least 40 vacancies in homeless shelters, plus the soon-to-be-opened Georgia's Place.

"This is kind of an anomaly," said Larry Eyer, executive director of Kitsap Community Resources. "It's a fairly new phenomenon. There is quite a bit of need for single men right now, and it's hard to tell whether it'll be a long-term trend or a blip for a couple of weeks."

He said that for a variety of reasons, many homeless families either choose not to move into Sally's Camp or are unable to do so. In some cases, it may be that they want a living space that's more their own, with their own beds. Or some may have a family or lifestyle situation that isn't a good fit in terms of requirements for living at Sally's Camp.

Some families, and homeless single men, live a vagabond existence in their cars, alternately sleeping in their vehicles, or in garages or homes belonging to friends and family.

But for now, the bottom line is the same. An overabundance of homeless shelter space for women, children and families. And homeless single men who can't make use of it.

It's been said that with this imbalance, Kitsap doesn't need yet another shelter for women and children, such as Georgia's Place will provide. But in fairness, Georgia's Place is only one element in the overall mix of resources. A lot of giving — and a lot of heart — has gone into providing all these shelters, and all who've had a hand in it are to be commended.

St. Vincent de Paul, the Salvation Army, Kitsap Community Resources and Catholic Community Services all have spent years providing homeless shelter, working together through the Kitsap Continuum of Care Coalition. But within a few weeks of each other, two additional shelters will have opened in Kitsap County, the need appears to be changing and there's a new member at the table, the Weaver Foundation.

It's time for all providers to once again come together, evaluate resources and needs, and put together a cooperative plan. Enormous amounts of effort have gone into providing these physical facilities. Now, additional efforts — of a different kind — are needed so they can best meet the needs for which they were created.

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