LAKEPORT– Hope Harbor Warming Center will open Monday, December 2 at 5:45 p.m. Guests may begin to arrive at 5:30 p.m. and may enter between 5:45 and 7:30 p.m. only. Late arrivals cannot be accommodated. The mission of the Hope Harbor Warming Center is to provide a warm and safe place to sleep for unsheltered individuals during intemperate weather. Hope Harbor aims to create a space that is physically and emotionally safe for all, regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation. The Warming Center is located at New Hope Fellowship Church, 305 Peckham Court in Lakeport (by K-mart).
Hope Harbor will operate Monday through Friday evenings through the end of March 2020. A standard evening at Hope Harbor begins with a hot meal at 6 p.m. provided by local restaurants, churches and volunteers. Adventist Health will operate the Pop Up Care Shower Project at the Warming Center Monday through Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. for guests of the Warming Center. Guests may sign up for Case Management from 6to 9 p.m. but are not required to do so. Case Managers will work with guests, 2 nights per week, to find appropriate support programs and housing guests may qualify for.
Cots are set up after the 7:30 p.m. announcements. Announcements include things like when free flu shots or haircuts will be offered.
Lake Transit offers guests “free” rides to and from the center. The Lakeport to Clearlake Route 4 bus drops off at 5:30 p.m. (westbound) and 6:08 p.m. (eastbound). Lakeport southbound Route 8 bus arrives at 5:42 p.m. Lake Transit said warming center guests are given special passes that allow them to ride free from any Lake Transit stop in the county. Each pass is good for one trip.
During the Jan. 2018 Point In Time (PIT) homeless count conducted by the Lake County Continuum of Care coalition, 612 people experiencing homelessness in Lake County were identified and a majority interviewed. Of the 612, 108 of those experiencing homelessness in Lake County were under the age of 18. These numbers are conservative, as the count only includes those actually found on the day of the count. If you would like to volunteer in next year’s count, please email this year’s PIT Coordinator Jordan O’Halloran from North Coast Opportunities at johalloran@ncoinc.org.
Per county ordinance Hope Harbor Warming Center can accommodate only 24 people per night. This is on a first-come, first-served basis. We do not have space to accommodate pets but we have volunteers ready to work with guests to find a foster placement for pets. Guests who live in their vehicles, are welcome to have their pets with them in their cars in the parking lot and will have access to the full array of Hope Harbor’s services.
Donations for the Warming Center can be sent to the Kelseyville United Methodist Church our fiscal sponsor. Please make any checks payable to the Church and put Warming Center on the memo line. Mail to PO Box 446 Kelseyville CA 95451. PayPal donations are also welcome at the Hope Harbor website www.hopeharborlakecounty.com.
