Love Overwhelming

As Longview's transitional shelter closes October 1st, recovery warriors like Kenny need community support to maintain hard-won progress By Charles D. Hendrickson October 1st marks more than just another date on the calendar for families across Cowlitz County. It's the day Hope Village closes its doors after 2.5 years of helping over 110 neighbors transition from homelessness to stable housing. For residents like Kenny, a college student fighting to maintain his sobriety, it means something much more immediate: hauling wooden pallets across muddy fields to keep his tent dry through the rains that always come in October. This story isn't about politics or policy debates. It's about what happens to real people when support systems disappear, and how communities like ours respond when neighbors need help the most. The Reality Behind the Statistics Kenny's story puts a human face on what Hope Village's closure means for Southwest Washington. He's not just anoth...

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 ...

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 successfully helped more than 110 people transition from homelessness to stable housing. The program is c...

  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...