Our Mission

The primary mission of the Christian Aid Center is serving Jesus Christ by providing restoration and compassionate love to those in need.

Who We Are

The Christian Aid Center was founded in 1946 as a non-denominational ministry to serve those who suffer from chronic poverty, hunger, homelessness, chemical dependency, and mental illness.

We currently provide emergency shelter for homeless women and children as well as single men in a safe caring environment. In 2015, we had 334 individuals stay at our shelter for a total of 11,306 bed nights.

We provide breakfast and dinner daily to anyone in our community who is hungry. The meal ministry is volunteer-driven with more than 200 volunteers preparing and serving hot, nutritious meals each month. Nearly 37,000 meals were served in 2015. We also give away donated food four days a week at our Dinning Hall.

In addition to meals and safe place to stay, we provide programs to help guests make a positive personal life change. These include life-skill classes, counseling, mentoring, addiction recovery, job coaching, and spiritual guidance. We also work closely with many other community agencies that offer services  such as substance abuse counseling, mental health treatment, domestic violence counseling, medical needs, legal assistance and more.

We are a part of the Association of Citygate, which is North America’s oldest and largest network of crisis shelters and rehabilitation centers, offering radical hospitality in the name of Jesus.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Our services are provided to anyone who comes to us in need; regardless of race, color, age, national or ethnic origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and/or faith. We believe each person deserves to be treated with compassion, grace, care, dignity, and respect.

Facts about Homelessness

As many as 3.5 million Americans are homeless each year. The common misconception is of a middle-age man who is struggling with addiction. While this is sometimes the case, the fact is more than half the homeless are families with children. Locally, a Walla Walla County 2015 Point-In-Time Survey reported 316 total homeless households that included 212 children under the age of 18.

A recent survey of rescue missions across North America found that more than one in three adults is facing homelessness for the first time. Homelessness is most often the result of tragic life occurrences like the loss of loved ones, unemployment, domestic violence, divorce and family disputes. Other factors include depression, untreated mental illness, post-traumatic stress disorder and other physical disabilities. The economy is another huge factor. Many people visiting a rescue mission on a given night never knew a month ago they would be homeless.

How You Can Help

More than 275 volunteers from local businesses, community groups, churches, families, and individuals partner with us to help those in need. From serving meals and cleaning, to childcare and mentoring, your time and talent can bring hope and healing to others.

"There Is Still Hope"

Almost before I can finish my question, “So how did you get here?” Ben’s one word answer leaps out of his mouth, “God.” My own mouth curls in surprise as I look at Ben, bearded and grey with an Air Calvary cap. I wait, and he looks away, nodding in thought. “I thought I was directing myself,” he says, breaking the silence, “but it wasn’t me. It was Him.”

Slowly, Ben begins to tell me his story. It’s a story of a life of drug addiction and difficult relationship with his wife. He winces as he says the word, “Addict. That’s a hard title.”

“I’ve smoked pot for 46 years. I came to Washington because it was legal. That’s the whole reason I moved, so I could continue what I was doing and not get in trouble for it.” Ben moved with his wife from Florida earlier in the year. He had been a northwest resident earlier in his life and he had a longing to come back. “But God said, ‘you’re not going back on your own terms.’” Ben’s hand squeezes his knee and he nods again, this time with raised eyebrows and a look of slight amusement. He found his way to Walla Walla through the Veteran’s Hospital in town, which he checked into for two days before hating it and leaving. “I’ve tried rehabilitation programs before. They always ended the same.” He explains. But now the money he had saved up was spent. His wife was in Spokane, and he had nowhere to go.

“I checked into the Christian Aid Center with Mary Jane in my stash. Quitting wasn’t my plan. But it was God’s.” He sits for a while before he says he can’t explain his change of heart except that it was the Spirit of God. He dumped his stash of pot down the toilet the first week, and has been clean since. “The Christian Aid Center is not just a building, not just a place to live and somewhere to eat. It’s made an immeasurable difference to me. I am finally around things I always desired – fellowship, and companionship, people who believe the same things as I do.”

Ben calls himself the prodigal son. He says he was first saved at 17, but then he was in the military, and into smoking pot, and he married a non-Christian and fell away from God, but as he says, God brought him back. “The people here are open and honest, and I try to be the same. I’m tired of putting on a front, you know, doing things so people like me. I don’t have to do that here.” Ben turns 63 this December. He shakes his head and says, “So much time wasted. But I now have another chance. It’s never too late. There is still hope –I’d like to share that.”

Join us for a Discovery Tour and we'll show you all the things we do to take a person from hurt and hopelessness to hope and healing. We look forward to showing you first-hand what the contributions from our community members are making possible at the Christian Aid Center.

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The Christian Aid Center now offers haircuts for the homeless and those living in our shelter. This new service exists thanks to Arturo, a hairstylist who moved to the Pacific Northwest from his home in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Arturo works full time at Leo’s off 9th Street in Walla Walla, and has recently decided to volunteer his time and his talents to give haircuts on Sundays to those in need.

Arturo has been cutting hair for two years now, and when he started at Hair Tech Academy on Issacs St. in Walla Walla, he said most of his classmates were girls. “I was embarrassed before, but I like what I do.” He says as he asks Karee to bend her head a bit farther forward while he finishes the back of her hair. “I came to the states after my father died. My mother was already living in Washington and she wanted me to come to Walla Walla to get an education. I’ve learned that if you really want to make a change in your life, there’s always a way.”

Thank you, Arturo, for using your talents to carry out change in the lives of the people at CAC.