The Salvation Army continues to support Kitsap and North Mason Counties by providing a low-barrier, pet-friendly, Emergency Shelter. Many of our guests are intoxicated or high, many have untreated mental health challenges, and most have experienced trauma. Some have just lost jobs, houses, and families. Whatever their story, we receive them and provide a safe place for them to rest, eat, shower, and get their laundry done. We collaborate with many social service agencies and can direct them to other resources. Our caring staff provides all these services, who see our guests as valuable and important and are willing to walk beside them on their journey. Our staff faces difficult and challenging situations daily with grace and boundaries. We have many stories of our guests who are now housed, have gotten clean and sober, have returned to their families, and are working. Many of those successes are the result of the care and work of our amazing staff!
From October 2023 through September 2024, we saw an increase of about 20% in the number of people and services. During that time we served over 80,000 meals, provided over 5,000 showers, and processed over 3,000 loads of guest laundry. Our shelter is averaging between 75 to 92 people per night. We continue to provide clothes, bus tokens, gas vouchers, toiletries, and blankets, along with utility and ID card assistance. In the last year, we have assisted many guests with finding housing, returning home, or entering drug/alcohol treatment. In addition to these basic services, we provide hotel and motel assistance to families and those displaced due to domestic violence. A permanent low-barrier shelter is being built through a consortium of local agencies and should be completed in the fall of 2025.
One important service missing in our community is the delivery of food boxes to those who are homebound or do not have transportation. We have purchased the property adjacent to ours and are building a new client-choice food market that will allow us to meet this need. We are raising $1.7 million through our capital campaign and we anticipate the building will be completed by Spring of 2026!
As always, our holidays are filled with providing meals and gifts for families in our community. This year, 500+ children were given a new coat, new shoes, and toys!