SNOHOMISH COUNTY — After an abrupt end to a warm early fall, cold weather shelters have been opening up across Snohomish County. The shelters aim to provide comfortable lodging for those who may not have the facilities to withstand the freezing-temperature nights that are becoming more and more frequent.
There are shelters located in Snohomish, Monroe and Everett. People are able to enter the Monroe and Snohomish shelters beginning at 8 p.m. until doors close for the night at 10 p.m. The Snohomish shelter at 210 Ave. B is able to hold 20 people while the Monroe site at 1012 W. Main St. can fit 25. Guests depart by 8 a.m. There is no limit on the number of days guests can sleep at the shelter.
Shelters in Everett are at First Baptist Church, 1616 Pacific Ave., and 5126 S. 2nd Avenue in Lowell.
The Snohomish and Monroe shelters provide guests with a warm environment, cots to sleep on, evening and morning meals, coffee, snacks, hygiene items, and hot showers on a first come, first served basis. Beyond just the tangible on-site resources, the shelters also aim to set up guests with more comprehensive resources to help low-income people locate housing, food, healthcare, advocacy and more.
“The people we serve are just trying to get out of the cold and get a chance to rest. Many of those we have been serving are working-people, they have jobs and are trying to get back on their feet as much as possible,” said Volunteers of America’s director for Community Resource Centers, Lynsey Gagnon. “We connect them with resources, hygiene items and other essentials while they’re here as well. It’s truly a welcoming and inviting atmosphere that we aim to provide to these folks that just desire a comfortable place to rest their head for the night.”
Guests are allowed to bring pets to the Monroe shelter so long as they are in a crate.
In Sultan, VOAWW provides a shuttle from the Sultan Library to the Monroe Cold Weather Shelter at 7:45 p.m. every night it is open.
People wishing to find out if the shelters are open on a given day can call 425-535-0000, check Facebook
@voawwskyvalley, or go to www.snohd.org/cold to locate a cold weather or daytime warming center.
The Monroe shelter is located at New Hope Fellowship Church, 1012 W Main St., while the Snohomish shelter is located at Snohomish Evangelical Free Church, 210 Ave. B. The shelters are managed by VOAWW. They are run by both staff and volunteers and are always looking for new volunteers, Gagnon said.
Gagnon said that “we’re always looking for a group of individuals that like to prepare meals and would like to serve our guests during the season. We are always in need of volunteers to help us run our cold weather shelters.”
For more information about volunteering at the Snohomish or Monroe shelters, contact Lindsay Donovan at ldonovan@voaww.org or visit the www.voaww.org/svcws
