The Close the Gap Coalition is seeking volunteers to help eliminate unsheltered or “street” homelessness. The Coalition aims to boost the volunteer base for existing programs to an extent that opportunities for capacity growth open up.

“A shortage of volunteers is among the primary causes of the shelter gap – or the difference between the number of shelter beds and the number of people actually needing shelter,” explains Selena Kilmoyer, a homeless advocate and volunteer for Camp Quixote. “If we can recruit a greater number of volunteers, we should be able to create new shelter opportunities, new alternatives to street camping, and close the service gap that leaves people sleeping alone in the woods.”

Setting a target of eighty new regular volunteers, the Coalition seeks volunteers to staff Camp Quixote’s host tent, Interfaith Work’s emergency overflow shelter, and the Family Support Center’s homeless outreach and shelter referral programs. The Coalition will be conducting a high visibility volunteer recruitment drive from late September through mid-October.

According to a census taken of the homeless last January, 135 households went without shelter. This represents 34% of all households without housing (392 households). A shortage of shelter beds is the most common cause of people sleeping outdoors, according to Kilmoyer. Most of the unsheltered homeless make do by sleeping in cars or under tarps in the woods.

Downtown Olympia has taken the bulk of the public impacts of unsheltered homelessness, spurring the City Council to enact bans on sidewalk-sitting and overnight RV parking. The Close the Gap Coalition intends to reduce or eliminate unsheltered homelessness and its public impacts – thereby eliminating the need to pass similar laws in the future.