Vancouver, Wash. – The City of Vancouver announced Monday it has received a $300,000 donation from the CE John Company, Inc. for operations of a new homeless day center.

The donation comes as the City starts space planning work for the day center, which will be located at 2018 Grand Blvd. Construction is expected to be completed this summer, with the partner agencies and service providers moving in as soon as September.

“The CE John Family has given to this community for decades, both publicly and anonymously,” said Mark Osborne, CE John Company, Inc. board member and managing partner. “This project grabbed our chairman Jim John’s attention and we, as a Board of Directors, prompted by Jim’s urging, felt it was time for a local business to step up to the plate and begin to combat the ever-increasing homelessness epidemic affecting our community.”  

The Grand Boulevard day center will replace the existing temporary day center at Friends of the Carpenter on West 20th Street in downtown. The new center will be open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is expected to serve an average of 74 people per day. It will offer people who are homeless a variety of services, including restrooms, showers and laundry, storage for personal belongings, mail, phone charging stations and clothing, plus mental health counseling, case management, job search assistance, transportation assistance, limited food service, and more.

“Though tackling this issue is a complex process with numerous stakeholders, we feel strongly that sitting back and doing nothing was not an option,” said Osborne. “From Clint and Gloria John on down to the third, and now fourth generation, we believe in giving back to the community you live and work in. We feel strongly that the City of Vancouver has a clear and precise plan in place and it is our hope that our gift of $300,000 will begin a movement in Vancouver that spurs other developers, businesses, and philanthropists to give to this cause. Vancouver is a gem, and we at CE John believe it is a calling for us to not only protect but enhance the quality of life for all community members.”

“It is heartwarming to see this level of commitment to a project that will benefit our City’s most vulnerable citizens,” said City of Vancouver Community Development Manager Peggy Sheehan. “Support from engaged community members like Jim John, and the entire CE John organization, help to make vitally important projects like the day center a reality.”

The donation to the day center was facilitated through the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington, a grantmaking public charity dedicated to connecting people who care with causes that help strengthen the lives of people in our community. For more information on the Community Foundation, please visit. www.cfsww.org.

For more information about the new day center, visit www.cityofvancouver.us/daycenter.

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