First United Methodist Church, Welcome Home Skagit unveil first pallet shelters in Mount Vernon

MOUNT VERNON - With the help of Welcome Home Skagit, Mount Vernon First United Methodist Church has completed its pallet shelter project.

The pallet shelters are the first in Mount Vernon.

A crowd gathered at the church Sunday to watch as the pallet shelter's first resident, Kaelyn Rogerson cut a ribbon to officially unveil the pallet shelters to the public.

Rogerson has lived at one of the pallet shelters for about a month, she said. She is the only current resident, but another is set to move in in May.

There are six pallet shelters on site, five for residents and one community cabin equipped with a water dispenser, a refrigerator, a microwave, an air fryer and a French press.

Rogerson said that Welcome Home Skagit, First United Methodist Church and the volunteers who worked on the project have been helpful since she moved in.

"The community is great. The support system is great," she said. "I'm just glad to be a part of it."

As Rogerson cut the ribbon Sunday, Welcome Home Skagit Managing Director Sarah Vogt looked on and applauded. For Vogt, this pallet shelter project has been a long process, she said.

Vogt said the project took about two years and presented many challenges (worst of which, a windstorm that moved the shelters and made her question the stability of the ground), but the church and many volunteers helped to overcome the challenges and complete the project.

She thanked the Skagit Young Professionals, Mount Vernon City Councilmember Andrew Vander Stoep, Vander Stoep's family, and electrician Jared Freeman for the time they spent volunteering on the project.

The shelters were donated by Skagit County Public Health. The project was also supported by the city of Mount Vernon and the Skagit Community Foundation.

Vogt said the shelters will be available for those participating in Welcome Home Skagit's vocational program.

The vocational program aims to help homeless people in Skagit County find and maintain employment.

Once a vocational program participant is approved for one of the five shelters, they may live there for up to a year.

While the participant lives in the pallet shelter, they will pay 30% of their income each month to the church. The church will use the money to pay the utilities on the resident's cabin, which is likely to be $50 to $100, Vogt said.

The remaining money will be put into a holding account for each resident. When the resident moves out, they will receive all the money in their holding account.

Vogt said that this operates like a savings account, which will help when the residents transition into permanent housing.

"The idea is that when they leave here, it's not leaving back into a homeless environment, but leaving into permanent housing," Vogt said.

The pallet shelters will also be self-managed by the residents.

Each resident will take on a responsibility, such as sanitation, site manager and groundskeeper. These titles can then be used on résumés, which might help the residents when applying for jobs.

"A project like this makes it possible for a lot of people who need a hand up - instead of necessarily seeking a hand out - who are motivated to get out of their current situation," Vogt said.

Vogt is happy to see projects such as this becoming more common in Skagit County. She said the county has come a long way since 2017 when she began working with Welcome Home Skagit.

"I've been with Welcome Home Skagit since it started, and I was homeless and lived in my car, and there was nothing. There was absolutely nothing," she said.

Vogt said that programs such as Welcome Home Skagit's Drop-In Resource and Referral Day Center and its Overnight Safe Parking have done a lot to fill needs in the county. Both are only possible because of local churches.

First United Methodist Church Pastor Christopher Gudger-Raines told those gathered Sunday that he encourages other churches to take on projects similar to the pallet shelter project.

He said that a project like this is easy to say "yes" to.

"We have this asset of a piece of property, and it should be for the community," Gudger-Raines said. "It should be for the uplift of the community."

Gudger-Raines said that other churches shouldn't be afraid to help homeless people in the community.

Vogt echoed the same sentiment.

"Our homeless friends are not to be feared. They are to be supported," she said.

Vogt said she hopes other churches will follow First United Methodist's lead and take on similar pallet shelter projects.

"There are a lot of amazing programs here in the valley that offer short-term solutions, but not a lot of long-term solutions for housing," Vogt said. "It means a lot to be able to offer (these homes). Even though it's small and it's only just five people, it's affecting five people's lives in a very positive way, and hopefully for the long term."

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