There will be no Stevenson emergency warming shelter this winter due to minimal use over the past few years. Skamania County Homeless Housing Task Force and Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP) have adjusted the units near the Hegewald Center to serve instead as temporary housing for families.

“I’m glad everyone put their differences aside and did what was right for the people; that’s what was important to me,” said Deborah Sandoz, who opened the warming shelter on Dec. 13 with the help of multiple volunteers and Dave Lutgens and Courtney Crawford.

The Skamania County Emergency Warming Shelter in Stevenson opens on January 11, 2023. It is expected to be available through mid to late March, depending on weather conditions. The shelter is located near the Hegewald Center and is operated by Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP).

Preparations for operating the Skamania County Emergency Warming Shelter in Stevenson are in progress. An opening date has not yet been announced, but when it opens, it is expected to be available through mid-March. The shelter is located near the Hegewald Center and is operated by Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP).

While officials are still figuring out the cause of death for Shana Marie Henry, 45, of The Dalles, her passing on a 23-degree night next to the railroad tracks in TD has spurred volunteers into action in providing a warming shelter for the chronically houseless.

The WAGAP warming shelter in Stevenson, Wa., is open.