SPOKANE, Wash. – After jumping from shelter to shelter for years in Spokane, two women are serving as an example, proving homelessness does not have to last forever. They moved into permanent housing together at the end of April.
Home sweet home felt far out of reach for years for Maybelle Romero and Jackie Vickery, who met when they were just trying to get by. Now, they’re roommates.
“I’m happy now,” Romero said.
“Yeah, and yesterday we helped a homeless man out with some food,” Vickery said.
A full circle moment for two women who know what it’s like to not know what’s coming next. They were homeless for years; Romero couldn’t afford her apartment’s rent uptick and Vickery lived in a van on the street before going to a shelter…
The two met at the Union Gospel Mission in Spokane and quickly became friends in the mailroom. They moved to the Trent Shelter together in January, but it wasn’t long before they moved again after an extreme cold snap hit the city.
They were two of the few who were chosen to migrate to The Way Out Center on 55 West Mission Avenue, headed by the Salvation Army.
“I wanted to go back to Trent so bad when I first got there, and she was sitting there telling me ‘no,’” Romero said.
Coming from low-barrier shelters, like TRAC (Trent Resource and Assistance Center), where there’s not as much structure and a lot more action, Romero and Vickery were hesitant to be at The Way Out Center the first few days. But then, they met the program’s manager, Gerriann Armstrong.
“I believe that everybody needs to be seen and heard, they have to have a place to belong,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong and the Salvation Army believe The Way Out Center is a step up from low-barrier shelters like TRAC because under this model, relationships are fostered, and communication is prioritized. This is a place where people go when they are serious about making a change, getting out of homelessness, and the team here is ready to help.
“And they all will take their time and talk to you and help you through the problems that you’re having and guide you the right way,” Vickery said.
From daily chores to mandatory dinners, access to hot showers and laundry services, this shelter felt more like home than anything had in years for Romero and Vickery.
A more intimate shelter, smaller and tightknit. This is similar to what Mayor Lisa Brown’s administration recently announced being in favor of, in comparison to much larger and congregated shelters like TRAC.
And even before Romero and Vickery got to The Way Out Center, the pair had created relationships with community partners to take the necessary steps to break the homeless cycle.
“When I was at Trent, we worked with Revive and they helped us with us getting the apartment and stuff, and they would come to The Way Out Shelter and meet with us and do our applications and all that,” Vickery said.
The Way Out Center just brought it all together; access to multiple avenues and overall, a team that showed these two women they were capable of helping themselves.
“That’s why I do what I do, I have the opportunity to love on people who need somebody to see them, somebody to believe in them,” Armstrong said.
After five months of hard work and dedication inside the shelter, Romero and Vickery are now starting over. Their message to anyone who’s ready to do the same, is this:
“Reach out to them because they will help you, and they’re there for you,” Vickery said.
The Way Out Center currently has spaces available, and the entire team there wants anyone who needs help to know that they are there for them. You can call the shelter at 509-866-5476 or stop by in person at 55 West Mission Avenue to be connected with services.
