ARCHES Inn is a 90-day, low-barrier, emergency shelter prioritizing wildfire survivors, chronically homeless, and medically fragile. The establishment of the Inn is a response to the homelessness crisis, which was made worse by the 2020 wildfires. The wildfire survivors whom the Inn serves were unstably housed or living in unfit conditions prior to the wildfires.
The shelter features on-site supportive services, case management, health and wellness services and navigation, and mental health and recovery supports. Guests have access to laundry services and food resources, as well as internet and computer access for job and housing searches. Each household has a private, protected space in which to stabilize and move forward to more permanent housing and self-sufficiency.
Renovations of the hotel will include the addition of a commercial kitchen, kitchenettes in the rooms, updating of current ADA-accessible rooms, and an elevator to give ADA access to all three floors. Once renovations are complete, the facility will have 72 guest rooms, sheltering as many as 125 individuals.
Stories
In 2019 ARCHES made sure Steve, a medically fragile homeless veteran, had a temporary place to stay that was ADA accessible. After a long journey of intensive supportive services and community support, Steve received his HUD VASH voucher (a form of permanent housing) which began on Jan 1, 2020.