Out of the cold

WAPATO -- No longer will Lydia Howard and others be ushered out into the cold when the sun goes down.

They won't have to seek empty lots where overgrown weeds offer some shelter to sleep, or set up makeshift camps in the fields outside this rural community.

Instead, they will be able to sleep at the Lower Valley's only shelter -- Noah's Ark.

When the facility at 117 E. Second St. opened more than a year ago, it provided shelter, but only during the day. It couldn't keep people overnight because it fell short of fire safety codes. Come dark, the homeless were sent out into the night.

Sometimes it would get so cold that you couldn't sleep, Howard said. "We'll just walk around (to stay warm)."

All that changed last week after a city building inspector decided that recently installed fire sprinklers and a fire alarm system met code.

"I've been waiting for a long time to get that," said shelter manager Becky Morrow. "We've been working on that for a long time."

That first night, more than a dozen people slept at the center, which can house up to 30 people an evening.

The next challenge is getting enough blankets to help keep the homeless warm at night.

"Now that we've got them, we need to cover them up," she said.

The shelter is mostly run by volunteers and donations. A roughly $75,000 grant from Yakima County and another $10,000 from the Yakama Nation Housing Authority helped purchase the fire suppression system, install a ceiling and acquire cots.

Volunteers recently put the final touches on drywall work in a room at the rear of the shelter where the cots are located. A ceiling also was installed.

"We really busted tail the past couple of weeks to get it open," said volunteer Raymond Price.

Since opening in September 2007, the shelter had only allowed the homeless in during during the day when they could sleep on one of several donated couches, grab a cup of coffee or a warm bowl of soup.

But when 6 p.m. came around, they were ushered out. Sending people away was hard, Morrow said.

"But what are you going to do," she said. "It's either that or get shut down."

On average, the shelter sees about 35 people a day, she said. Since opening, more than 500 different people have come through, she said.

Most people coming into the shelter, like 35-year-old Howard, struggle with alcohol abuse.

One recent afternoon, two men were tucked under blankets sleeping on separate couches. A man ate noodles from a cup while another sipped soup from a bowl. An intoxicated man drifted in and out of the building, making small talk with others.

There are rules at the shelter, such as no fighting, no drinking while there and respecting others.

But sometimes fights erupt, and some get belligerent when asked to leave, Morrow said.

There are an estimated 100 homeless people -- most of them Yakama tribal members -- on the reservation, where poverty is high and opportunity slim.

Offering them a place to stay overnight may provide the stability to encourage them to seek alcohol treatment and eventually regain control of their lives, Morrow said.

"We've had quite a few that went into (treatment), but family and friends drag them back (to drinking)," she said.

Howard said she's hoping to get into treatment following an alcohol assessment next week.

"Hopefully, I'll get a bed date," she said of going into a treatment center.

Once on the streets, encouragement and opportunity to improve your life are hard to come by, she said, explaining that it was Morrow that helped her sign up for alcohol treatment.

"Becky talks to me and stuff, tries to help me," she said.

* Phil Ferolito can be reached at 577-7749 or pferolito@yakimaherald.com.

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