Winter Hospitality Overflow

Men’s Shelter at St. Paul

Volunteering at St. Paul

In 2003, St. Paul’s Men Shelter opened as one of two Winter Hospitality Overflow shelters providing overnight accommodations for 30 unhoused men during the five coldest months of the year.  For 17 years, WHO was staffed and fed by volunteers from the community, who represented faith-, business- and service- organizations, as well as individuals. Guests are placed in this and other shelter locations. Through the Housing Hotline,

In 2020, the St. Paul Men’s Shelter transitioned to a year-round shelter for 25 men, staffed by Outsiders Inn, a homeless services provider whose staff have lived experience of homelessness and other traumas. Guests reside at St. Paul from 6:30 pm to 7:00 am on weekdays, and 24 hours a day over weekends and holidays.

For more information about WHO at St. Paul, contact whostpaulvanc@gmail.com

Volunteer to Provide a Meal for St. Paul

Host a special project or a collection for St. Paul email pastor@stpaulvancouver.com

VOlunteer

Ways YOU can partner in the homeless sheltering programs at St. Paul

There are numerous ways that individuals and groups can assist in the homeless ministries work being done at St. Paul Lutheran Church.

Provide a meal at St. Paul: volunteer through ‘MealTrain.com’

Dinner and weekend mid-day meals for 25 guests plus the onsite staff (29 people total) are needed. Signup is scheduled online through the website, mealtrain.com.  Individuals, families, or groups are invited to prepare and deliver a meal, provide a gift card, or make a donation towards a meal.  It’s “cook’s choice” regarding how elaborate or simple the meal might be. Take a peek at the sign-up to get details about delivery, and an idea of what meals are being delivered. Meals are typically received by staff at the door. However, cooks who are interested in serving their meal to guests can indicate this in the ‘Notes’ section of the sign-up, and also should inform the staff person who receives the food that they would like to ‘come in and serve the meal.’

Meal signup is at https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/04435v

Coordinate a special project for one of the St. Paul shelters

Whether you’d like to host games, give out holiday bags to our guests, do some physical improvements to the site (yardwork, paint, provide more storage, etc.), or have other ideas to help our guests or our program, contact pastor@stpaulvancouver.com  or  whostpaulvanc@gmail.com

Volunteer at WHO St. Paul

Volunteers provide extra support for staff and offer additional interactions for guests at the overnight shelter. Whether once a week or on some other pre-determined schedule, volunteers are valued partners in the shelter. Interested community members are required to complete a volunteer application, sign a confidentiality agreement, and authorize a criminal background check. For more information about what this entails, contact the Volunteer & Resource Coordinator at waystohelp@outsidersinn.org.

St. Paul hosts a Severe Weather Shelter on extremely cold days. On-site volunteers are needed on weekdays in 3-hour shifts.  For more information about SWS at St. Paul, refer to the St. Paul Vancouver website  

Facilitate a Special Collection for WHO at St. Paul

Throughout the WHO season, there are needs for certain items, whether unanticipated, special needs, or easy-to-gather. In-kind donations of items can significantly defray expenses so they can be applied elsewhere. From razors to underwear, trash bags to resealable bags, TP to PPE, W.H.O. at St. Paul has ever-changing needs. Prior to initiating a collection, please contact  pastor@stpaulvancouver.com or  whostpaulvanc@gmail.com to discuss current priorities.     

In-kind donations

  • To Outsiders Inn at St Paul: Donations of staple food and pantry items that can be distributed among all Outsiders Inn shelter locations are appreciated. So are towels and twin-sized bedding, socks, hats, gloves, underwear, belts, razors, cleaning supplies, and paper products. To make a donation, or to find out what is particularly needed for a collection or donation that you coordinate, or to check if we can accept your gift, contact Outsiders Inn by voice/text/phone: (564)-227-6828, or email: waystohelp@outsidersinn.org

  • To Severe Weather Shelter at St Paul: Donations of bottled water, games that lend themselves to varying numbers of people, emergency weather supplies (handwarmers, space blankets or tarps, toiletries, etc), snacks like fruit cups, chips, bars, ‘instant’ meals, etc are appropriate for this shelter that opens when weather is dangerously hot, cold or smokey. To make a donation, or to find out what is particularly needed for a collection or donation that you coordinate, or to check if we can accept your gift, contact  whostpaulvanc@gmail.com