About Nativity House

The Nativity House journey began on a cold Christmas Eve 45 years ago as a Jesuit priest and two volunteers welcomed those experiencing homelessness into a small storefront with a pot of coffee, a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter. From those humble beginnings, Nativity House is now the largest, most comprehensive outreach to adults experiencing homelessness in Pierce County.

24 hours a day, seven days a week Nativity House is a no-barriers program that offers meals, basic needs, behavioral health and substance use disorder support, job and skills training, connection to benefits like Medicaid/Medicare and SSI, and connection to shelter and housing solutions through Coordinated Entry.

We also support the full personhood of our guests through enriching opportunities like our optional prayer and meditation space and our therapeutic art room. Each evening, we shelter 167 single adults, with 117 beds for male-identified guests and 50 for female identified guests. In times of extreme weather, we expand this capacity to 267 beds.

Services

Day Center Services

• Yakima Free Clinic Nurse, Mon. - Fri., 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
• Mail services, daily 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Overnight Shelter

• Breakfast 8:15 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
• Lunch 11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.
• Dinner 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
• Clothing, Monday 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
• Computer/internet access in the Art Room
• Hygiene products and toiletries
• Clients must be self-sufficient
• No ID required
• Check in at 5 p.m. for bed availability first come first service
• Check in with staff at 8 p.m. for one nighter bed

Healing and Support

• Case management (overnight shelter guests)
• Behavioral health services
• Referral to substance use disorder programs and coordinated entry for shelter and housing
• Art, prayer, and other enriching opportunities as available (completely optional)

Referrals

• Connection to mainstream benefits like Medicaid/Medicare and SSI

While we do our best, there are a few things we can’t provide:

• Our kitchen is communal, so we can’t accommodate dietary restrictions
• Overnight guests must be self-sufficient (able to take care of their own basic needs)
• WiFi
• Private rooms
• Entertainment
• Transportation via staff
• Medical practice
• Physical transferring of an individual (including pushing of wheelchairs)
• Medication management
• Shower/toilet assistance

We also share our building with the Nativity House Apartments, which offers 50 units of permanent supportive housing for those who are formerly chronically homeless. Please click this link to view information about the Nativity House Apartments.