San Juan Islands, Washington, shelter on San Juan Island to open Nov. 9 using Orcas Island model

As the sun sets on Nov. 8 and winter’s cold settles in, the doors of Orcas Island Community Church are set to open to neighbors who need a warm place to sleep and a hot meal. Alicia Wigfield, administrator of the church’s Neighbor-to-Neighbor Shelter, described the goal as a “hand up” rather than a handout. “They just want somebody to give them a hand up, like reaching down to them sitting on the ground,” she said.

Last year, the Neighbor-to-Neighbor Shelter operated from Thanksgiving through March and missed only one night, due to a volunteer shortage. Because of its work on Orcas Island, San Juan Island will follow the same model and open its shelter doors on Nov. 9.

Wigfield presented the program to the San Juan County Council during a recent work session. Council member Kari McVeigh praised the work and said, “Part of government is making sure that people have what they need in the way that they need it. And when we could help support groups like you, then we’re doing a better job governing all the people in this county.” Wigfield told the Journal that the program has made a difference in people’s lives, including five guests who received permanent housing through their interactions with shelter volunteers. She also described a guest who visits her each Tuesday at the weekly community lunch to say thank you, a visit she said motivates her work.

Wigfield said that many of the island’s homeless neighbors come out after the wider community goes home and stay in their cars or on the streets. She said she knows most of them and that they do not want to be known as homeless. “They’re in a really rough spot, so, for them, it’s safer to stay in their space until dark,” she said. “They don’t want to be judged.” She said one of the greatest dangers to unhoused neighbors is freezing in the streets or in cars, and she pointed to gas at $7 a gallon, which she said limits how often people can run their car heaters. She also described a husband-and-wife team she works with who drive at night looking for people who need sleeping bags and other supplies. “We make sure we get them what they need,” she said.

Sylvia and Jim Biddick, members of the Lions Club on Orcas Island, volunteered at the shelter last year and plan to return this year. Sylvia Biddick told the Sounder that guests “really appreciated being in a warm place and getting hot meals and feeling that they’re cared for by us, by the people in the community that are there volunteering.” Chip Long, executive director of the Port of Orcas, has volunteered at the shelter for many years and joined its advisory committee as the program expanded. He said the program is “well-thought-out” and that the sheriff’s office checks in on everyone.

The shelter emphasizes safety for staff and guests. Some guests also volunteer at the shelter and receive a stipend that lets them “get a little money in their pocket,” Wigfield said. “Just giving them a little job gives them that extra boost of energy and the confidence that they need,” she added, noting that the shelter plans to expand guest volunteer projects to work around the church this year. Volunteers must complete a background check, CPR training, Narcan training and obtain a Food Handlers Card. Mid-shift runs from dusk to 7 p.m., and the overnight shift runs from 7 p.m. to 9 a.m., with a person arriving at 6:30 a.m. to relieve weekday volunteers early.

Melissa Hope, director of the San Juan Island Weather Shelter, part of United Way of San Juan County, also presented to the Council. She told the Council that Wigfield “has been totally indispensable” and has helped her learn the shelter’s procedures, policies and operations. Hope said the San Juan shelter will be open seven nights a week from Nov. 9 through March 31 at the fairgrounds in the Marie Boe building. She told the Sounder that the shelter is not only for people who are homeless in the usual sense, but also for people whose heat was shut off over an unpaid bill or who live in a trailer and become anxious in severe weather.

Hope described Boe as “a great contributor to the community in general,” who was connected with 4-H as a leader in many areas. “When I was 9 years old, she was my knitting teacher. She taught me to knit as part of 4-H,” Hope said. Asked what Boe might think of the shelter, Hope said, “She would be absolutely thrilled that we are using it, her building for this purpose.”

Source: Read the original report