WELCOME TO THE GOTR CAMPGROUND WEBSITE
Volunteers Needed at New City Sleep Center
The GOTR (Getting off the Road) campground was located at the foot
of the hill leading to the Veterans Memorial Municipal Golf Course off of Rees
Avenue and Highway 12 at the site of the successful Gentlemen of the Road
(GOTR) music tour campground facility. The camp was authorized and
established on August 16, 2016 on city park property at the request of the
Walla Walla Alliance for the Homeless, to provide a safe, legal place for
homeless citizens of Walla Walla to reside while seeking permanent housing.
On March 22, a proposal was presented to the Walla Walla city
council to move the city’s homeless campground to a spot near the northwest
corner of the city’s sewage treatment plant west of Myra Rd. After hearing
opposition to both the current site and the proposed sewage treatment plant
site, and a further analysis from staff of all city properties and various
criteria for a campground location, the council accepted the city manager's
recommendation to relocate the semi-permanent campground to the vicinity of the
Fort Walla Walla Park amphitheater.
Further opposition to the Fort Walla Walla site has resulted in a
decision to move the camp to the northeast portion of the city service center
on Rees Avenue, and to close the current camp. The new camp opened on May 22
under new enforceable rules which have been adopted by the city.
Currently, the City’s new homeless sleep center
on Rees Avenue is only open from 6 pm-9 am daily. The Alliance for the
Homeless provides staffing from 6 pm-10 pm, and a night security company is
present from 10 pm-9 am. All residents must currently leave at 9 am and
no one is permitted to return until 6 pm, which can be difficult for both
residents and the community.
Expansion of the center’s hours will require
additional staffing by volunteers. If you can commit to two-to-four hours
a week, please contact Alliance volunteer coordinator Nancy Forsthoefel at
509-540-6000, forsthn@whitman.edu.
Training will be provided.
Please note that the city is not currently
planning to extend the sleeping center’s hours. The purpose of this post
is to determine if there would be sufficient volunteer resources available to
staff any extension of hours which might be proposed. Please share this with
others who may be interested. Thanks for your assistance to Walla Walla’s
homeless residents.
Best wishes,
Walla Walla Alliance for the Homeless
PO Box 3431
Walla Walla WA 99362
