Activities

Located at the Julia West House, 522 SW 13th, the Nightwatch Hospitality Center is a sanctuary for the lonely, mentally ill, homeless and impoverished in downtown Portland.

         On Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 7:00 to 11:00 p.m., it is open as a place where guests may drop in and socialize, play games, and develop friendships. On occasion, we’ll encourage interaction with Open Mike nights, chess or Scrabble tournaments, group games of Wheel of Fortune or Family Feud, or singing karaoke. When the Center’s doors are open, we may also offer a concurrent Art Workshop or Model Building Workshop.

The Hospitality Center

Street Hospitality Teams

Because some people on the streets wrestle with social phobias, inner conflicts, introverted proclivities, and other issues that prevent them from coming into our Hospitality Center, even though it may be nearby, our Street Hospitality Teams go out to them.

         Members of our Street Hospitality Teams are trained in communication skills, conflict resolution and personal safety techniques. They go out equipped with a shoulder bag of sandwiches and a thermos of hot coffee, a directory of services for referral in one pocket, and a set of directions to the Hospitality Center in the other (in case the people they meet would like to go to the Hospitality Center, but just didn’t know about it). Some teams may include a nursing student with a medical kit.

Each month we host monthly outings to nearby parks and cultural settings. We've inner-tubed on Mt. Hood, taken beach trips, hiked in the Gorge, and taken Christmas trips to the Oregon Zoo. These trips have proven to be important times of renewal in the lives of those who often face grim daily prospects.

          Our annual spiritual retreat, a 3-day event away from the city, provides an especial opportunity for our guests to assess their lives.

         Each year during Holy Week we sponsor a memorial service to remember those on the streets who have died in the past year. It is a fully interfaith service, with representation from the Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Native, and Buddhist traditions.

         The year ends with a large Christmas party, where everyone is treated to a sit-down feast, given Christmas stockings, shares Christmas carols, and welcomes Santa.

Special Events

Mobile Hospitality Center

Since increasing numbers of the homeless–especially homeless families–are to be found outside the downtown area, our mobile hospitality center goes out to them. Wherever homeless clusters are gathered “Nightwatch on Wheels” may be found, providing the services of a temporary hospitality center, with all its warmth and fellowship, in an otherwise empty parking lot.  Coffee and sandwiches are shared, blankets and warm clothing distributed, and a toilet provided for sanitary needs. Student nurses provide for simple medical needs, and referrals to other helping agencies are made.