Operation Nightwatch

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. It is open from 7:00 – 11:00 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Serving coffee,

lemonade and sandwiches to up to 150 guests, we provide a comfortable atmosphere for guests to socialize, play games, develop friendships and for our volunteers

to be able to reach out to people who are disenfranchised from others. Our Hospitality Center offers our guests a safe, warm place to go when nothing else is open, and know they can find a welcoming, respectful environment. We’ve increasingly come to call it, “the poor person’s Starbucks.”

Two Saturdays a month, volunteer nurses provide this service to our guests who spend too much time on their feet. With the neglect of footcare being the source of many medical issues, our skilled workers provide basic care, soaking, bathing, clipping nails, callous removal, lotion, and clean dry socks.

The last Wednesday of each month, we celebrate those who had a birthday during the month with cake and ice cream for everyone. Not only do these celebrations mark the only occasions when our guests find their birthdays observed, but some report, "This is the only opportunity I ever get to eat ice cream!"

As a safe alternative to street life and being alone in a barren apartment, 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 outings prove to be highlights in the lives of our guests.

Operation Nightwatch does not proselytize. It is fundamentally against our approach to require conformity to any set of beliefs or faith-practices before an individual can participate in our activities. Nonetheless, we recognize that many of our guests hunger to express themselves spiritually, but feel out-of-place in conventional church settings. Therefore, we offer a weekly worship service each Sunday evening, to which all are welcome on a purely voluntary basis.

Furthermore, on Wednesday evenings, we host a Bible study that incorporates a hot meal, group prayer time, and study of the scriptures. One night per month is dedicated to Bible Movie Night.

Each year during Holy Week we remember those who have died in the Burnside / Downtown neighborhood. It is a time for sharing memories of friends, a sharing that comes from Christian, Jewish and Native American traditions. At the close of the service we read the name of each person who has died in the past year and light a candle to symbolize the value of each person as a child of God.

We sponsor Shoe Giveaways once or twice a year, providing our guests with quality footwear. Each December, we hold our annual Christmas Party, treating everyone to a feast, giving out stockings, and celebrating with music and Santa. June takes away for a 3-day spiritual retreat at Camp Adams, providing a time for refreshment and renewal.