Shower facility for homeless delayed

A shower and laundry facility for the homeless that was slated to open this month at Friends of the Carpenter in Vancouver hasn’t begun construction yet due to a delay in getting an easement.

Work on the 450-square-foot facility, which will include four showers, four restrooms and a commercial washer and dryer, was supposed to begin in January at the new homeless day center. Operated by Share, the day center opened Dec. 14 at Friends of the Carpenter, 1600 W. 20th St. The city permits are ready, and construction could begin immediately if it weren’t for the easement issue, said Tom Iberle, executive director of Friends of the Carpenter.

“Right now the status is we could build the facility, but we couldn’t turn the faucet on because we’re not legally allowed to connect to the sewer line,” Iberle said Wednesday. “It’s been a frustrating journey.”

Under state law, any sewer line that serves more than one property must be declared public. The Friends of the Carpenter’s sewer line serves three properties, but the required paperwork declaring it public was never filed decades ago when it was installed, said Peggy Sheehan, the city’s Community and Economic Development program manager.

Sheehan has been trying since late December to get the two other commercial property owners who share the sewer line to sign the easement documents, but one owner has been out of town until this month and the other has had questions, she said.

“Part of it is, folks are wondering why after 35 years they have to do this,” Sheehan said.

The easement arrangement, which will not cost the property owners any money, simply allows city employees to come onto the property to repair the sewer line when necessary, she said, adding, “I think we’re going to be able to move forward.”

Brian Lies, who owns the north side of the easement, said Wednesday he simply wanted to perform due diligence to find out what granting an easement would mean to the property owners. Ken Kirn, who owns the south side, could not be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, when Vancouver’s homeless need to wash clothes or take showers, they resort to their usual options. They can sign up to take turns bathing and doing laundry at Share House, the homeless shelter at 1115 W. 13th St., “but there’s no guarantee” they’ll get a slot that day, said Tess Strickland, a client support specialist for Share.

Laundry of Love, at 2101 St. Johns Blvd., allows people to wash two loads of laundry for free from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursdays. But its 2 1/2 -mile distance for those walking from downtown can be daunting.

“It’s quite a commute for those who are older to lug their stuff there and back,” said Heather Gallardo, 44.

Sometimes they do laundry at friends’ houses, said her friend Michael Fugger, 37, who was taking refuge from the rain Wednesday at the day center with Gallardo and his dog, Chubbs.

Day center client John Welton said he usually takes showers and washes clothes at Lifeline Connections, a private, nonprofit sober living/detox unit in Vancouver. If the day center had a laundry area and showers, “it would make my day a lot better,” the 28-year-old said.

Several local businesses have agreed to donate labor and materials for the shower facility, and the city will contribute $100,000 in Community Development Block Grants to cover the remaining costs, Sheehan said.

“When the project is done, it’s going to be amazing,” she said.

Iberle said about 30 to 35 people per day use the day center, where the homeless can pick up their mail seven days a week, use the toilet, charge electronics, store belongings in lockers, use computers, apply for identification cards and sign up for social services. The city, Clark County and Vancouver Housing Authority are funding the day center’s operations, rent and utilities, which will total $275,000 for the first year. Other local nonprofit groups are helping with mental health counseling, general education classes, case management and job searches.

The day center is critically needed at a time when homeless shelter space and affordable housing are scarce in Vancouver, and camping in public is banned except for between 9:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.

From a police perspective, there have been no problems associated with the day center, according to Vancouver police spokeswoman Kim Kapp.