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If you are in need of emergency shelter, call the ESC Hotline at 360-695-9677, accessible 7 days a week.
Women, families and couples, call from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Single men, call from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
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Emergency Shelter Clearinghouse
For the last 20 years, the Council has managed the Emergency Shelter Clearinghouse (ESC). The Clearinghouse Hotline handles the screening and referral process to emergency shelter as a service to the area’s shelters, and refers callers to other resources in Clark County. The Hotline is the one direct service program operated by the Council that provides staff and volunteers with a clear line of communication to the population it serves. Through it, the Council determines trends, recognizes times of crisis, identifies causes of homelessness and recommends appropriate assistance.
One of the advantages of the Clearinghouse system is that because of the Hotline’s intake and referral process, people experiencing homelessness are not required to queue for shelter beds. This is not only a more humane system, but it is a system that supports community livability overall. The statistical information collected during the referral process is distributed to, and compiled in, another program administered by the Council: the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).
The services provided by the Clearinghouse continue to evolve to meet changing needs. The Clearinghouse provides not just referral to families and individuals seeking shelter, but also works to solve problems in obtaining housing and other assistance. By networking with local churches, shelters and other providers to assess needs and services, the Clearinghouse acts as an advocate for people who are homeless, predicts trends, and confers with the Coalition of Service Providers for the Homeless (formerly known as the Continuum of Care) to assess needs and make recommendations for future funding.
The Clearinghouse is managed by one full-time Coordinator, and staffed by generous volunteers who collectively donate thousands of hours each year to staff the Hotline. Through them, we expand our relationships with people who are homeless, or "at-risk" of becoming homeless, following them through their experience of emergency shelter, efforts to get or keep housing, use of program services, and assessing advocacy needs. In 2008, the Clearinghouse Hotline received 16,617 calls and helped more than 4,000 clients.
The Clearinghouse is funded by the Clark County/City of Vancouver Human Services Fund, and foundation and donor support. We could not do what we do without the generous support of the community, our volunteers, and our work-study students from Clark College.
| Community Housing Program |
| "These are great referrals...thank you!" - Denise Stone, Community Services Northwest |
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Mission and Summary
The Community Housing Program assists and empowers Clark County’s service providers for the homeless. Affiliated with the Emergency Shelter Clearinghouse, the program offers access to a coordinated Supported Housing system for the most vulnerable segment of Clark County’s homeless population – those living on the street or in encampments, those with mental health (MH) and/or co-occurring substance abuse (SA) disorders, and individuals who are re-entering the community from correctional facilities and state hospitals. We have created a centralized means of communication that gives landlords and supportive service providers the capacity to partner and maximize each other’s resources.
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How Community Housing Works
Landlord/Property Owner Outreach - We identify and contact landlords and property owners in Clark County who manage or own properties that may have historically been inaccessible to homeless or low-income people with housing barriers. Through meetings and dialogues between those with properties and representatives of agencies with clients with barriers, landlords and property owners are informed of both the business and community benefit of placing people with barriers into sustainable housing.
Housing Information Distribution - Landlords phone in new openings daily to the Community Housing Program. Case managers receive up-to-date information on low-income housing waiting lists, to include general unit availabilities as well as specialized unit availabilities based upon which specific client barriers landlord is willing to accommodate. Case managers are also able to communicate directly at any time with the Community Housing Program Coordinator to address issues related to 'difficult to place' renters. These open lines of communication allow for housing providers to secure tenants, and case managers and prospective tenants to secure housing that adequately accommodates their barriers more efficiently.
Linkages between Landlords and Supportive Service Providers - Landlords and property owners who elect to participate in the program become partners with the social service providers, and are supported by the Housing Partnership Workgroup of the Coalition of Service Providers to the Homeless. By maintaining an ongoing dialogue with landlords and property owners, specific problems or concerns are addressed quickly and professionally. An annual appraisal is also conducted to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the partnership, and to develop improvements in the program for landlords, agencies, case managers and tenants.
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