Neighbor 2 Neighbor will open the Pendleton Warming Station this month
By Terry Murry on Monday, November 4th, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – Neighbor 2 Neighbor Pendleton will open the Pendleton Warming Station as a congregate temporary shelter on Nov. 15. The facility provides overnight accommodations for those facing homelessness during the winter months when the potential for hypothermia is elevated.
Last winter, temporary shelter was provided for 152 different individuals facing varying degrees of homelessness. The warming station was open 120 days and had an average census of 15.6 according to N2N.
“We helped a lot of different homeless folks with many different stories,” Operations Lead Shirley Westfall said. “Some of our people had been homeless for a long time and were familiar to us; others were newly homeless facing a situation they had not been in before.”
Westfall added that some were passing through and just needed short term assistance while many had previous connections to the Pendleton area or had been in the city for a long time. She expects to see the same mix this winter.
N2N continues to face staffing challenges for the upcoming season. A shortage of volunteers began during the COVID pandemic. For the first time last year, organizers employed overnight workers so the shelter could remain open consistently. That has meant the need for an increased budget compared to years’ past.
“We have been very careful with our finances and, with the help of a grant from the Blue Mountain Community Foundation, we have just enough funding to get us through mid-March,” Executive Director Dwight Johnson said. “But this leaves us with little funding for our Day Center operation this spring and the start of next winter.”
Neighbor 2 Neighbor still needs community volunteers during the intake period from 6-10 p.m. Johnson said volunteers are the heart of the organization and without them N2N cannot operate. Johnson is appealing to community members to attend one of the training sessions planned for this month. A training session will be held Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. Another session is planned for Thursday from 6-8 p.m. The training sessions include a tour of the facility. People attending the sessions are not obliged to become volunteers. They also don’t need to register to attend. The training sessions are at the Pendleton Warming Station, 715 S.E. Court Ave.
N2N hopes to secure more funding later in the year from grants, but relies significantly on direct donations from individuals, and is hoping that community residents will once again contribute generously. Donations of warm clothing and snack items are also welcome.
Since opening in 2011, Neighbor 2 Neighbor says that the Pendleton Warming Station has never had a serious incident where a volunteer was significantly threatened or assaulted.
“The folks we serve are very appreciative of the volunteers down here and what we do,” said longtime volunteer Jeanette Herron. “I think this has kept everyone safe over the years. I don’t know of anyone who has regretted volunteering at the warming station. It’s been an amazing experience.”
More information about Neighbor 2 Neighbor Pendleton, including how to volunteer or donate, can be found on the organization’s website at http://n2npendleton.org, or by calling 765-791-8332.
