WALLA WALLA ALLIANCE FOR THE HOMELESS

Walla Walla Sleep Center - Low Barrier Sleep Center: In collaboration with the City of Walla Walla, the Alliance offers a low-barrier Sleep Center for adults experiencing homelessness. The Sleep Center consists of 38 hard-sided shelters for individuals or couples, an overflow room for single men, indoor toilets and showers, caseworker and staff offices, and a climate-controlled gathering room for meetings and where meals donated by the community are served. There are many things that most of us take for granted that are simply not available to those who are homeless. The Alliance worked to provide many of those items to residents during 2023: Toiletries: We provide soap, shampoo, conditioner, toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors, hygiene products, sunscreen, over the counter pain relievers, first aid supplies, and like items free of charge. Showers: We provide showers seven days per week through a resident led program. This allows our residents to engage with the community they are living in and allows for skills development at the same time. An address: If you are homeless, how can you receive mail or manage official communication or even fill out the most basic application forms when you don't have an address? This is an issue faced daily by those experiencing homelessness. The Walla Walla Alliance for the Homeless is pleased to provide a mailing address to all residents, as well as access to private boxes, free of charge, for homeless Walla Walla citizens that are engaged with our Peer Support services. During 2023 the Sleep Center provided 19,222 nights of safe sleep to 183 unique individuals. Our Sleep Center staff consisted of six full-time and one part-time employees and 8,275 hours of volunteer time. In 2023, we began work to expand our shelter capacity and associated programming to include ten additional transitional shelters with power, heat, and a/c.

Exit Homelessness Program: The Exit Homelessness program includes on-site case management and peer support, coordination of services with local social-service organizations, life skills classes, and other services that lead to self-reliance and stable housing. We continue to see great success through our efforts. We have high levels of engagement from residents in camp and we continue to offer supportive services to those housed. Through 2023, we have helped people move out of shelter and into better situations 167 times, averaging more than 41 people per year.