Dear Editor: Solstice is just around the corner. During this dark time of reflection and hope, we are feeling so much gratitude for this amazing community. We are also facing difficult decisions.
Last weekend we joined our friends, neighbors, supporters, and partners for an opening of the long anticipated Hitx’ i Saani project. The idea to provide homes to folks without houses was conceived many years ago. Standing in the snow, and seeing these 12 homes become reality, with stoves, and bathroom, and beds covered in lovingly made quilts was amazing. Folks started moving in this week and the response to having a safe and secure space has been something that is hard to express in words.
However, with this new housing program, come new challenges. We have ALL new staff to run this brand NEW program. As people move into their new homes, this is a critical time for creating a long term sustainable and supportive living community. The homes come with many regulatory requirements that we must meet. There are also a lot of feelings and adjustments for everyone.
While it is a very difficult decision, we are going to delay the opening of our community’s emergency shelter to mid-January or early February so that we can make sure that Hitx’ i Saani runs and grows sustainably into the future. The hiring and training monitors and preparing oncoming staff, while onboarding a new executive and program director, and setting up new living arrangements is insurmountable.
Hítx’i Sáani is up and running finally, and that means that 11 people will be off the streets and out of the elements that were not last year. In this case, off the street does not mean just for a night, it means forever and it does not mean sleeping on a cot, it means sleeping in one’s own bed, to wake up to one’s own coffee, to be able to prepare one’s own meal, to have the privacy of locking one’s door.
Counting our blessings and seeing our progress is more important than ever. The shelter will come. In the meantime, we will continue to provide as much support as possible with supplies for this inclement weather. We will open the shelter as soon as we can.
We also need our community.
If you are interested in applying to be a shelter monitor or volunteering at the overnight warming shelter, we would love to hear from you. These roles are essential to keeping our neighbors safe and warm this winter. The sooner we are able to hire and train staff, the sooner we can open the doors of the winter warming shelter. Please reach out to michelle@sheltersitka.org for more information.
Thank you, as always, for showing up for one another. Happy Holidays.
Sitka Homeless Coalition Board of Directors
