Okanogan Community Homeless Shelters

Over the last few years a few churches in our county have cooperated with ManFisher Ministries to offer shelter to the homeless on a rotating basis. This model has served well in the past, but this last year the shelter saw heavy use with as many as 11 individuals on a single night. With the homeless population of Okanogan County only seeming to grow each year, a more permanent and lasting shelter option is not only highly desirable, but simply is the right thing to do to help men, women and perhaps even children find shelter when in need. After a series of meetings in Fall of 2016 a group headed by Pastor Jon Hayse began to pray and dream about constructing a tiny house shelter in our county. The New Life Centre of Okanogan made available a parcel of land, plans were drawn up and approved by appropriate officials and work began to clear the lot and prepare it for construction. In May of 2017 a small group of pastors and other community leaders met, prayed and decided to form an independent Board of Directors to begin putting together the necessary funds and volunteers to bring the shelter from a good idea to reality. Shortly after that a group of church leaders from various congregations came together to form the Board and away we went. Indeed, our Lord and Savior even said, “Foxes have holes and bird of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20). Let us serve Christ together by giving those who bear the very image of God a place to lay their head.