Several residents at the temporary shelter community have found permanent housing in the past year

Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com

A year ago, “Eddy” came to Hope Village with no hope.

That’s what he told members of the media. Life on the streets beat all hope away from him.

A year later, Eddy is no longer in Hope Village. Instead, he is in permanent housing.

He is one of many success stories, people who came to Hope Village looking for a place to sleep, to live, to improve their lives.

They got off the street, bettered themselves, then found stable, permanent homes.

Friday (April 28) marks a year from the opening of Hope Village, a Safe Stay Community at 4915 E. Fourth Plain Blvd. in Vancouver. The site is for people experiencing homelessness, and it comes with 20 pallet homes – tiny homes – that are for people who are trying to make a positive change. Those homes provide security, a bed, a place for clothes, and a space for television. 

Yes, they are small, but they provide for big dreams.

“It’s been awesome. It’s been everything we expected it to be,” said Brian Norris, executive director of Hope Village and the outreach pastor for Living Hope Church.

Norris said 16 residents have gone from temporary housing at Hope Village into permanent housing in Clark County. A third of the residents currently living at Hope Village are now completely sober, he added.

“What we can’t measure is the joy people are finding, the love people are finding, the hope people are finding here,” Norris said. “It’s pretty awesome watching people grow.”

Hope Village has staff in the office or on site 24 hours a day, there to provide residents with myriad resources.

Patrick Quinlan told the story of “Shelly,” another success story who has graduated from Hope Village. He first met Shelly at a tent city in the middle of the pandemic. 

“She was isolated. Didn’t stay very often. Hidden away,” Quinlan said.

When Hope Village opened, Quinlan and others encouraged Shelly to apply for residency.

“Slowly but surely, she engaged. Slowly but surely, she trusted us. She started giving back and started communicating with everybody, becoming a whole different person. She became a key member of the community. It was really astounding.”

Today, Shelly is in supportive housing. And the difference in her personality is “miraculous,” Quinlan said.

“A little bit of love and a little bit of encouragement,” Quinlan said. “There is still hope in society, and she has a place in it.”

As of Friday, 19 of the 20 pallet homes were being used. One was vacant because of another success story, a resident moving into permanent housing. There is a list, Norris said, so the vacancy will be filled in a hurry.

The first step into living at Hope Village or any Safe Stay Community is registering and being assigned a caseworker. That could be a professional from Council for the Homeless or from Share, for example, a person who can help guide the person beyond barriers.

Hope Village also interviews potential residents.

“Are you ready? Are you ready to transition? To each person, that’s different. For some, it’s sobriety,” Norris said. “Some are looking for a safe place. For some, it’s getting a job. For some, it is to get an apartment. There are multiple different stories, but as long as you’re moving forward, your trajectory is moving forward, that’s what we’re looking for.”

Some are not ready, Norris acknowledged. Maybe they come to the village and do not follow the rules. No drugs are allowed on site, for example. Those residents are required to move out, but they are encouraged to try again when they are ready. 

Hope Village is also part of the neighborhood association. Norris said he has not received any complaints from nearby business owners. The community is for people trying to better themselves, and in turn, be good to their neighbors.

It is possible, Norris said, that residents of Hope Village will be working on neighborhood clean-up and lawn care throughout the area. That would be paid labor opportunities.

On Friday, Hope Village was having a barbecue to celebrate its anniversary.

Adam Atchison, originally from Yacolt, is one of the residents. He was in between jobs six months ago. He couldn’t make rent, so he was living in his car. He said he was “lucky” to find Hope Village, a place that provides security and dignity.

“Nothing like sleeping in a car and having your whole life viewed by the world,” Atchison said. “People automatically assume you’re some sort of degenerate just because you are living out of your car. For a lot of us, that’s not the case. We’re trying to do what we’re supposed to do, trying to be successful and live our lives.”

Atchison has found work and he is looking forward to getting back into traditional housing. He is an aspiring writer, too. He is looking for stability.

Hope Village has given him that right now, and given him hope.

“There needs to be more places like this,” Atchison said. “We definitely need more programs like this.”

He recently put his writing skills on display with a message to the governor.

“I wrote an email to Mr. Inslee. I encouraged him to publicly support more of these,” Atchison said.

More hope please. More places like Hope Village.