HELPING AREA HOMELESS

WENATCHEE -- The men who sat around Table 5 at the Hospitality House
homeless shelter Monday came in for a hot meal on a 14-degree night.
But not all of them planned to stay. Domingo Solis, 48, said he'd
sleep in his car that night. Another man, a recovering alcoholic who
declined to give his name, said he'd sleep outside. Edwin Argueta, 51,
said he'd spend the night at the shelter, but head out the next day to
wander around the city. He hopes to find pruning work in an orchard.
Many complained of health problems and hinted at troubles with
alcoholism. Others have mental health challenges. But Monday night
they and the other men sitting at tables in the shelter's dining room
had a hot turkey-and-dressing dinner in common. They're part of the
estimated 758 people who make up the Wenatchee area's homeless
population, according to the most recent homeless census, taken last
January.

But the cold isn't enough to keep many of them inside.

"The shelter doesn't allow drinking, drugs, bad language or
pornography. Some of them feel that's too much," said Ron Roberson,
the shelter's executive director. "And some are bitter, about laws
especially," he added. "They don't want laws, don't want procedures.
They want to make it on their own."

Set back off Wenatchee Avenue, south of the Sen. George Sellar Bridge,
the shelter can accommodate 86 men, but occupancy is currently about
60. Monday night's dinner drew about 30. Hospitality House is part of
the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions, a nationwide aid
organization. Its $250,000 annual budget comes from donations from
local business, churches and individuals.

The shelter provides drug and alcohol treatment, meals, hot showers,
and free clothing and blankets. At Haven of Hope, the Hospitality
House's sister mission for women, about half of the shelter's 25 beds
are empty, despite the cold weather. "I don't see it being any worse
than it has been any other time," director Teria Kelley said Monday.
The 10-bed Emogene's women's shelter at the YWCA, however, is full.
Shelter coordinator Melissa Smith said the cold weather is definitely
the reason, despite the routine challenges. "We're clean and sober
here, and sometimes people don't like that," she said. "That's one of
the biggest issues about whether people get to stay here."