What lies next for the Boiler Room?

Not even those who help make it happen know for sure.

Boiler Room Executive Director Amy Howard emphasized no final decisions have been made.

“We're still having conversations about what might happen next,” Howard said. “And we want to have those conversations with the community.”

What does seem to be clear is the Boiler Room cannot continue on as it has done, between declines in donations and volunteerism, as well as attempting to serve what have become conflicting needs.

“The Boiler Room has become more of a day shelter, when it was originally intended for youth services,” Howard said. “Our donations went off the edge of a cliff starting in January of 2017, and volunteer and youth engagement have been down.”

The Boiler Room, located at 711 Water Street in Port Townsend, and established in 1993 “builds community by providing a safe space for the growth and improvement of individuals,” according to the program’s mission statement.

The program offers free food every day, which served 32,266 meals to the community last year; job training to those looking to advance their skill sets; programs to become a better self and more.

Howard noted the Boiler Room's Board of Directors' first conversation about this state of affairs was Aug. 5, although she acknowledged the Boiler Room's manager would be gone by Aug. 15.

“Pretty much all our core staff is out the door,” Howard said. “I have to step away for health reasons.”

At the same time, Howard reiterated the ultimate fate of the Boiler Room is not her decision, or the board's but that of the community.

“It's a known fact that this community needs both youth services and a day shelter,” Howard said. “But trying to offer both puts them into direct conflict with each other. Perhaps, if they were split apart, each one could be served better. But that's part of the conversation we need to have.”

When asked about the donations recently received by the Boiler Room, Howard explained, because of the decline in donations, the Boiler Room still has an outstanding balance on a number of services it has already provided.

“So that money is still being used as intended,” Howard said.

Boiler Room Executive Board President David Faber described what is happening at the facilities as a “series of crises.”

“If (the Boiler Room) continues to operate as it has been, we won’t be open past next week,” Faber said. “At this point in time, we need to re-formulate the core mission.”

Faber echoed Howard’s words of focusing on what the community needs the Boiler Room to be, adding he hoped another organization could take up the homeless aspect of what the Boiler Room has offered.

“It is unsustainable in its current ways,” Faber said, but stressed the fact the board has not made a decision, and will not without hearing from the community. “We are at the very beginning stages. We want to engage the community and see where we end up.”