PORT ANGELES — Most mornings, at least three people are waiting when the new Basic Hygiene Center in Port Angeles opens, said Sandra Enger, chief of the all-volunteer operating crew.
The center, at 516 E. First St. in Port Angeles, opened quietly Aug. 2 to serve individuals and families who don’t have access to showers or laundry facilities.
The entrance on the west side of the building maximizes privacy for users and minimizes impacts on the neighborhood, said Martha Ireland, Serenity House executive coordinator, in a statement.
Guests sign in, indicate whether they want to take a shower, do laundry or both.
One man regularly cleans up before heading off to a landscaping job, Ireland said. Others go looking for work.
“Being clean helps,” Ireland said.
One woman uses the service each day it is open.
To date, all other guests have been men.
The volunteer staff consists of a similar gender mix, with Enger the sole woman.
“I expected I would have to do all the cleaning, but not at all,” she said, explaining the routine for disinfecting the two shower rooms after each use and laundering towels at the end of each shift.
Guests consistently leave everything very clean, Enger said, and most abide by the 10-minute timeline for showers.
The facility opened to correspond with a weeklong closure at the YMCA.
“We weren’t as ready as we hoped to be, but we knew the YMCA, where people can go to shower for $2, was closed all week for annual maintenance, so we needed to fill that gap,” said Kathy Wahto, executive director of Serenity House of Clallam County, the community-based private nonprofit agency that owns the building and created the facility.
The first morning, two people showered. With no organized publicity, the number grew to five the next day. Five is now the minimum number, and it is growing, Enger said.
Currently, the hygiene center is open Monday through Thursday mornings from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Other days, as well as evening hours, will be added as more volunteers step forward.
Volunteers sign guests in, pass out personal care and laundry supplies, offer basic necessities from the clothes closet and refer users to other agency resources as needed.
“We haven’t had a single problem with the people using the showers,” Enger said. “People are saying this is fabulous.”
Donations needed
But there are needs, Ireland said.
“Men’s clothing, toothpaste, razors and combs are in short supply. Mirrors and towel racks would be appreciated,” Ireland said.
“And it would be nice to complete a pathway between the west-side entrance and the rear of the building before the rainy season.”
Serenity House Deputy Director Laurie Kross said, with more volunteers, the facility could be opened for longer hours.
“And we can always use donations for the shelter and the shower house — money, of course, but also things like coffee, snacks, detergent, towels and that sort of thing,” Kross said.
During cold-weather months, the center also will serve as a warming station, with hot beverages.
The hygiene center is next door to Serenity House’s Street Outreach Shelter at 520 E. First; across from the agency’s Tempest building, home of the Housing Resource Center and teen Dream Center; and two doors east of the Serenity Thrift Store.
Renovations started last fall, when the Port Angeles Fire Department’s Day of Caring crew stripped out remnants of an old veterinary clinic.
Private funding
An $8,000 award from the Benjamin N. Phillips Memorial Fund was the major source of funds for the renovations, which were done by Serenity House’s maintenance staff, community service workers and volunteers.
The Home Depot, through its Gifts In Kind program, and other local businesses donated most of the materials, Ireland said.
Pre-opening work wrapped up with KeyBank and Serenity House employees volunteering an afternoon to clear and spruce up the west-side entryway.
Sears in Port Angeles made a special deal on two stacked washer-dryer sets for the laundry room, but when volunteers started two loads of towels at the end of opening day they “learned the hard way” that the aging building’s drain can handle only one wash load at a time, Enger said.
“Once we get the hang of it, we’ll hold a grand opening to celebrate,” Kross said.
