Our Homeless Shelter ... in the heart of Vancouver, WA
St Paul is home to a year-round Men’s Shelter that offers a warm place to sleep, clean bathrooms, showers, food, and other essentials for up to 25 single men who are recovering from homelessness and other traumas. They reside at St Paul nightly during the week and over weekends and holidays.
This shelter was established in 2003 as part of the Winter Hospitality Overflow (WHO) program. WHO was created to help bridge the gap between limited shelter space in Vancouver and the increased need for warm, safe overnight accommodations for unhoused people during the coldest months of the year. From November 1 through March 31, faith groups, service organizations, and individuals volunteered to staff the facility from 6:00 pm until 7:00 am seven days a week. Occupancy was -- and still is -- coordinated by the Emergency Housing Hotline (a department of the Council for the Homeless.) St Paul provided the location and a core team of dedicated individuals who ensured the shelter was staffed and the guests were welcomed, well-fed, and supported in the time they resided at St Paul. Case management and site support were provided by SHARE-Vancouver.
As the 2020 WHO season was concluding, COVID-19 shut down the world. We could not ask volunteers to continue to go in and out of our shelter, nor could we send “our guys” into a world where an unknown disease was wildly transmitting. St Paul’s leadership made the bold move to dedicate the space that was used part-year into a year-round men’s shelter. An organization called Outsiders Inn was selected to operate the facility, providing staffing and peer mentoring to the guests. Outsiders Inn staff all have lived experience of homelessness, substance abuse, and/or trauma, and they are well equipped to manage the shelter. For this reason, St Paul Men’s Shelter is referred to as the "Outsiders Inn at St Paul".
Watch a video about Outsiders Inn at St Paul: Youtube "Outsiders Inn 3 Minutes"
Continuing our tradition of hospitality to unhoused people, St Paul has established itself as a Severe Weather Shelter location in downtown Vancouver. When weather emergencies (extremely cold or hot temperatures or smokey skies) are predicted in Vancouver, St Paul Severe Weather Shelter provides a temperate location for unhoused individuals to spend a good part of the day with snacks, restrooms, conversation, and camaraderie. This can only be done with volunteers from throughout the area: we need people with various talents, including willingness to staff the site, provide food, drink, or supplies, or drive (taxi volunteers who will work but aren’t comfortable driving in snow conditions or to pick up donated items.)
St. Paul also dedicates space in our basement for mail service for Vancouver’s unhoused population, which is managed by Outsiders Inn.
Extending HOSPITALITY to people who are facing challenges is part of the mission of St Paul Lutheran Church. Throughout the year, we invite individuals and groups to join us in our sheltering projects: St Paul Severe Weather Shelter and Outsiders Inn at St Paul.
- Information and sign up to help in various ways with Severe Weather Shelter (on an on-call basis): https://bit.ly/HelpStPaul
- For ways to support the Homeless Ministries at St Paul through funds, a collection, or on a volunteer basis, email [email protected] or [email protected]
- For ways to support Outsiders Inn at St Paul with a project, a collection of ‘drive,’ or on a volunteer basis, email [email protected]
- Meals for 29 people who reside at St Paul Men’s Shelter are scheduled through a software called MealTrain. Residents appreciate meals provided by people across the community (like you! Like you and a group you are associated with!) Details about what this entails, where and when to deliver, and a peek at what others are delivering can be found at https://mealtrain.com/outsidersinn
Information about volunteering at
St Paul is here: >> Click Here