Soon the hallways and living areas of the new homeless shelter in Port Orchard will be filled with men, woman, families and their pets. The 75-bed facility – called Pacific Building – is slated to open by the end of the year.

Local homeless advocates and politicians attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony Dec. 6 at the facility. U.S. Representative-elect Emily Randall (D-6) said the shelter will benefit the community.

“This place is a special opportunity for us to ensure folks don’t have to live in the woods. That students don’t have to sleep unsheltered and then pack themselves up to get to school down the road. That folks have a warm place to sleep as they think about how to rebuild a life for themselves,” Randall said.

Carl Borg, program manager of the county’s housing and homelessness division, discussed the shelter during an interview.

“This is the first shelter of its kind in Kitsap County. It’s a great asset for the community and is going to be a big help for the unhoused population,” he said.

Pacific Building is a live-in shelter where residents have access to life skills training and are provided medical, mental health and substance abuse treatment, according to officials. Residents can bring their pets – primarily dogs and cats – to live with them. The animals get veterinary care they may not have received while living on the street. No drugs, alcohol or firearms are permitted.

The shelter will help improve the lives of residents, Borg said.

“Once we get them in the shelter, they can start getting better. You really can’t get better if you don’t know where you’re going to sleep at night or where your next meal is coming from. A lot of them have mental health issues. Some have health issues and drug addiction. It’s a place where they can heal, get better and then move on with their lives,” Borg said.

Residents will come from Kitsap Rescue Mission’s shelter at Bremerton’s Quality Inn on Kitsap Way. Approximately 50 people are expected to move into the Pacific Building by late December with another 25 transferring in early January, Borg said. People will reside at the shelter for up to 90 days, which can be extended a month at a time.

KRM will operate the facility. It previously ran the shelter at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds during COVID and oversees the program at Quality Inn.

The shelter is housed in the former Olympic Fitness Club at 4459 SE Mile Hill Drive, next to Astound Broadband. It sits on a nearly 5-acre wooded site purchased by the county in April of 2021 for $1.5 million. Funding for the nearly 4-year project came from state grants designated for new emergency housing, affordable housing, and homeless shelter projects.

“It was a bumpy road,” Borg said of the process to make the shelter a reality.

“You know it’s in a neighborhood,” he pointed out. “You want to make sure that the neighbors closest to it understand what is going on. You have to address all the issues that come up and make sure that everybody is satisfied with your answers. Right now, the neighbors that surround the shelter are all very happy. There are no concerns.”

In the early stages of the project, opposition to the shelter came from the Mile Hill Public Safety Organization, a group of over 280 members. The group dissolved after permits for the shelter were approved.

An open house of Pacific Building will take place before the facility opens to give community members the opportunity to tour the shelter. The date of the open house will be announced once final touches on the facility are completed.

Looking ahead, the Kitsap County Affordable Housing Task Force, a consortium of local social service leaders, hopes to see additional shelters set up around the county. The long-term plan is to open two additional emergency shelters, one in Bremerton and another in the north end of the county, according to task force co-chair Joseph Crain.

The commercial kitchen that will service the 75-bed facility.

One of several living areas that will be divided into private areas. This space will house 9-12 individuals.