When Neighbors Carry Pallets for Tents, Cowlitz County Faces a Test of Values By Charles D. Hendrickson On October 1, Hope Village in Longview will close its doors. For many, it will be just another date on the calendar. For Kenny, a college student in recovery, it means hauling a wooden pallet across a muddy field to keep his tent dry through the October rains. That image should stop us in our tracks. Kenny is not a statistic. He is a young man fighting to stay in school, stay clean, and stay connected to his support groups. His pallet is not just scrap wood and canvas. It is the fragile foundation of his recovery. Hope Village was more than tents and tiny homes. It was accountability and structure. It required residency proof, participation in services, and responsibility to the community. Over two and a half years, it helped more than 110 of our neighbors stabilize their lives and move toward permanent housing. It didn’t fail people... it served them. What failed was leadership ...
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Cowlitz County Faces Critical Decision on $11 Million Homeless Funding as Hope Village Closes Cowlitz County stands at a crossroads. In the coming weeks, commissioners must decide whether to accept $11 million in Washington State Consolidated Homeless Grant (CHG) funding. The vote arrives at a decisive moment: Hope Village—Longview’s transitional housing program—closes October 1st, leaving a gap in housing stability just as demand grows. For more than two years, Hope Village required proof of county residency and helped over 110 residents find stability. Its closure underscores the urgent reality: our community must decide whether to keep control of state funding or allow Olympia to send the dollars here through outside agencies. Hope Village’s closure is more than symbolic. It removes a critical bridge from tents to keys, from survival to stability. Built on accountability and residency requirements, it was proof that structured pathways work. Without it, Longview and Kelso lose c...
Cowlitz County Faces Critical Decision on $11 Million Homeless Funding as Hope Village Closes As Longview's transitional housing program ends October 1st, county commissioners consider accepting Washington State homeless services grant Cowlitz County commissioners face a pivotal decision in the coming weeks: whether to accept $11 million in Washington State funding for homeless services through the Consolidated Homeless Grant (CHG) program. This decision comes at a critical time, as Hope Village—Longview's successful transitional housing program—closes October 1st after serving over 110 residents in 2.5 years. The timing highlights the complex challenges facing Southwest Washington communities as they balance fiscal responsibility, local control, and community needs in addressing homelessness across Longview, Kelso, and rural Cowlitz County. The Current Landscape Hope Village's Impact and Closure: Hope Village required proof of Cowlitz County residency and successfull...
Why Peer Support and Community Health Workers Are the Heart of Effective Homelessness Solutions By Charles Hendrickson | Love Overwhelming Blog In the latest wave of federal policy announcements, Washington State’s Housing First approach has come under pressure. A new executive order threatens to pull millions in federal funding unless cities like Seattle abandon proven strategies in favor of outdated enforcement-first models. At Love Overwhelming, we believe there is a better way, one that saves money, changes lives, and keeps the community at the center. Housing First isn’t just compassionate, it’s cost-effective. And when paired with community health workers and peer support specialists, it becomes one of the most powerful tools we have for reducing homelessness, hospitalizations, and justice system involvement. Rising Pressure, Broken Models There’s increasing political pressure to prioritize shelters with mandatory treatment over housing with optional, voluntary support...