Share had its beginnings in 1979 when a group of caring people came together with the common goal of caring for the homeless and hungry in the Vancouver area. These individuals made a commitment to helping men and women in need, those who are often unseen or forgotten, those who are someone’s daughter, grandfather, neighbor, cousin or friend.
In 2019 Share celebrated our 40th anniversary, maintaining our commitment by remaining at the forefront to improve the lives of individuals and families who face food instability, are homeless or struggle to find affordable housing. Our start was humble, with just one shelter for single men and a daily, free hot meal. Today, we provide a spectrum of services—from the Outreach team on the streets to emergency shelters and free nutritious meals, to the Backpack program feeding hungry children and subsidized housing for low-income individuals and families, to permanent housing, and so much more.
We’ve grown tremendously, through visionary leadership that has allowed our organization to sustainably grow, evolving our programs based on the needs of our community. While we have been a fierce advocate for change, we’ve not done it on our own. Healthy communities thrive through partnership. By connecting multiple systems and movements, and bringing more players and voices to the table, Share has fostered and created a brighter and healthier future for generations to come. We keep working, every day. We can build a better future for everyone and we will do it together.
Thank you for making our community home.
A Brief Timeline of Share Services & Programs
Meals for homeless.
1982
Share Board established.
1983
Board of Directors formed.
1985
New Share House (at current location) & Hot Meals Program begins.
1993
Resource Center for street homeless, at request of City of Vancouver, downtown area (Esther Short Park).
1996
Share Homestead & Share Orchards Inn open.
1996
Fire destroys Share House.
1998
Share Outreach, pilot program begins.
1999
Opening of new Share House.
2000
ASPIRE/transitional housing program begins.
2002
Winter Shelter Program begins; est. as WHO in 2004
2003
Emergency housing, single women (called Share Homes).
2004
Backpack & SummerSLAM Programs launched (SummerSLAM now known as Share Summer Meals).
2007
In June, Share hosted a public outreach process to share our Facility Improvement Plan and seek feedback from the community about how best our organization should grow to meet the on-going needs of the hungry, homeless and low-income in our community.
2009
Share purchased a building on Andresen Road, which will become the Share Fromhold Service Center.
2011
Phase Two of our capital campaign process, with a portion of the Share Fromhold Service Center’s renovations completed, including the Northwest Natural Products/Gummy Vites Backpack Building Area.
2013
Share Fromhold Service Center officially opened as the new home of: Share ASPIRE staff offices, Share Outreach Program, Share Volunteer Center, Share Administrative Offices and Warehouse for Share’s Backpack & Holiday Cheer Programs, plus storage space for donations.
2016
Lincoln Place, a 30-unit Housing First apartment complex, opens. The building is owned by Vancouver Housing Authority and managed by Key Properties; Share manages programs offered to the residents and Community Services Northwest provides on-site mental health and substance abuse services. Lincoln Place is permanent supportive housing so people can live there indefinitely and receive on-going services.
Share Orchards Inn and Share Homestead are remodeled. Both of these facilities are shelters for families and single women, which are owned by Vancouver Housing Authority and operated with care by Share. A special thank you to the following for the funding of these projects: Vancouver Housing Authority, Washington State Department of Commerce Housing Preservation Program, Clark County Community Development Block Grant, and KMR Group Foundation.
