Westside Neighbors Shelter

LATEST NEWS: We've moved up our scheduled closure from April 15. The Warm Up Center at the Legion Hall is now closed completely for several weeks of facility improvements such as bathroom remodeling, kitchen cleaning, door lock changes, and shelter policy development. During this time, no breakfast or other services will be available, and the building will be closed to the public.

The Warm Up Center will re-open for breakfast, showers, assistance with forms and housing, and clothing help on a date to be announced soon.

Our Amazon wish list is still active for donations, which will be needed when the Warm Up Center re-opens.

Thank you to our caring community for all the help we received this winter. See you in a few weeks!

We’ve recently swapped our temperamental washer/dryer for these two new beauties. It makes washing all those shower and kitchen towels so much easier!

If you’d like to help at the shelter by putting these machines to use, let us know! We have a volunteer laundry shift every morning. See our website at www.westsideneighborsshelter.org to learn more.

Spring is here, which means the cold-weather overnight emergency shelter is about to close for the 2025-26 season. And there are some big changes in the works!

--The last night for dinner and overnight stays at Westside Neighbors Shelter is March 31. The cots will be dismantled and stored until next winter. After March 31, the shelter will be open only for Warm Up Center from 7 to 11 am.

--The Warm Up Center will continue each day until April 15. At that time, the shelter will close completely for several weeks of facility improvements such as bathroom remodeling, kitchen cleaning, door lock changes, and shelter policy development. No services will be provided during this temporary closure.

--The Warm Up Center will re-open for breakfast, showers, assistance with forms and housing, and clothing help, on a date to be announced soon.

--Dinner Church will continue at the Legion Hall Fridays at 5 pm throughout the year (except during the operational shutdown period).

Thank you to all the volunteers who have worked during the cold-weather season to provide evening meals for our clients!

Your clothing donations are helping so much! Each morning we give out socks, hats, and other necessary items to people who visit our warmup shelter after spending the night outside.

Our clothing storage room is TINY, so we appreciate getting the items our clients need the most right now: warm, sturdy outdoor clothing for adults. Most requested: heavy jackets, sweatpants, underwear (both men's and women's), men's jeans, sturdy shoes, long socks, winter gloves. Also requested: toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Laurie, Lisa, and Laurie had a great time doing laundry, sorting donations, and handing out clothing this week! If you'd like to join in, please visit https://westsideneighborsshelter.org/westside-neighbors-shelter/how-to-volunteer/

FInd updates on winter weather safety and nightly winter seasonal shelter in our area on King County Regional Homelessness Authority's Severe Weather Response page.

Severe Weather Response - KCRHA Find overnight and daytime shelter information for severe weather events for Seattle and King County from the Regional Homelessness Authority.

Westside Neighbors Shelter is a privately owned and volunteer-operated cold-weather shelter hosted in the American Legion Hall in West Seattle. The shelter is open to any adult in need of shelter, regardless of gender or veteran status.

All clients and visitors to the shelter are required to follow these basic rules, which are posted at several locations inside and outside the Legion Hall. Refusal to comply with the rules means being trespassed from the property.

Donations of food and warm clothing are needed throughout the area. You can drop off donations for WSNS at the American Legion Hall, 3620 SW Alaska St, or send them via our Amazon wish list (https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2M8BX6UMZBG4H?ref_=wl_share)

Today is Housing and Homelessness Advocacy Day, one of the largest annual lobby days at the state capitol in Olympia! It's hosted by the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance and the Washington Housing Alliance Action Fund, and has strong presence and leadership from people directly impacted by housing injustice, including through the Resident Action Project. Advocates have gathered from all over Washington today to meet in person with their lawmakers and rally for housing justice.

Sign up for WLIHA action alerts, and they'll keep you up to date on how you can be an advocate for affordable homes and an end to homelessness in Washington: https://secure.everyaction.com/-gZPY8k0qkaHQyrUqmpC5g2

With the severely cold weather comes more people in need, and Chef Tim has compiled a list of everything the kitchen is just about out of:

paper towels
paper plates (10 inch)
paper bowls (20 oz.)
paper coffee cups (12 oz.)
potatoes
rice
coffee (ground, like Folger’s)
powdered coffee creamer
pancake mix
oatmeal
pancake syrup
white sugar
brown sugar
cup noodles
hot cocoa packets
corn starch
large chicken bouillon

Can you donate any of these things? If so, please drop them off at the American Legion Hall at 3620 SW Alaska St. between 7-11 am or 6-9 pm. (Note: the Hall is closed from 11 am to 6 pm.) Or, you can have them delivered via our Amazon Wish List.

THANK YOU! Your help keeps our hungry neighbors fed!

SEVERE WEATHER UPDATE: With overnight temperatures below 30°F in the forecast, King County Regional Homelessness Authority is shifting to Tier 3 Protocols as of 5:00 pm on Thursday, January 22, lasting through Saturday, January 24 and winding down in the morning on Sunday, January 25, with the possibility of extending in alignment with its severe weather policy.

Tier 3, the most severe level, means KCRHA will
> coordinate with transit and transportation partners to shelter sites (for example, for medically fragile or disabled individuals)
> open emergency daytime and overnight warming centers and day centers, including libraries
> where applicable: coordinate with cities to open local city halls and other city-owned properties for warming centers and/or 24/7 emergency shelters.

Westside Neighbors Shelter will continue with increased cot capacity of 45 people and one additional overnight staff member. When the Severe Weather advisory ends, the shelter will return to its normal winter operation of 35 cots and two overnight staff members.

Donations of food and warm clothing are needed throughout the area. You can drop off donations for WSNS at the American Legion Hall, 3620 SW Alaska St, or send them via our Amazon wish list https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2M8BX6UMZBG4H?ref_=wl_share.

Thank you!

With temperature forecast lows dipping at or below 35 degrees for the rest of the week, King County Regional Homelessness Authority has extended the current Tier 2 severe cold sheltering through at least the morning of Friday, January 23.

During these severe cold events, the shelter expands its overnight population by 10 people, which means our resources are stretched even further. Here's how you can help:

*Donate funds to help buy essentials and keep the heat and lights on: https://donorbox.org/support-westside-neighbors-shelter

*Check our "What's Needed Right Now" page at https://westsideneighborsshelter.org/whats-needed-right-now-spring/ which includes a link to an Amazon wish list where you can order things to be delivered to the shelter

*Consider volunteering your time: https://westsideneighborsshelter.org/westside-neighbors-shelter/how-to-volunteer/

Thank you so much!

What's Needed Right Now? - Westside Neighbors Shelter The Morning Warm Up Center is open from 7 to 11 am, with breakfast and shower available. Our current needs to sustain the Warm Up Center are listed below; the most urgent needs are in red. Please drop off donations at the American Legion Hall at 3620 SW Alaska Street between 7 and 11 am. You […]

King County Regional Homelessness Authority is activating Tier 2 Severe Weather Protocols on Saturday, January 17 through Monday, January 19, winding down the morning of Tuesday, January 20, with the possibility of extending in alignment with its severe weather policy.

During this time, Westside Neighbors Shelter will increase cot capacity to 45 people, and add one additional staff member to provide overnight supervision. When the Severe Weather advisory ends, the shelter will return to its normal winter operation of 35 cots and two overnight staff members.

During severe weather activations, the Severe Weather Shelter Navigation Hotline (206) 245-1026 is available 8:00 am – 11:30 pm daily. Anyone can use this hotline for information on shelters and navigating to shelter locations. Families with children can call to be connected with a shelter and a ride to that location, as available.

Donations of food and warm clothing are needed throughout the area. You can drop off donations for WSNS at the American Legion Hall, 3620 SW Alaska St, or send them via our Amazon wish list.

Scan the QR code for the latest information from King County. https://kcrha.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/KCRHA_Severe-Weather_permanent-QR.png

Thank you!

kcrha.org