Every once in a while there is a group of folks working together to make a small part of this world a better place. That is what those involved in the Way Back Inn are doing on a daily basis.
On June 4, Vern and Dorothy Francis, with the Way Back Inn, along with volunteers and employees from ABODA, a company that provides corporate housing for executives, met at the Campus Park home in Kent to do renovation work.
Way Back Inn provides temporary housing for homeless families.
Vern and Dorothy have been involved with the charity organization since they retired.
“We have to help the children,” said Vern, 68. “It is very rewarding when you can tell you have made a difference.”
Along with the countless hours the couple puts in preparing the homes for families, the organization works with cities — Kent, Tukwila and Renton along with churches and several more organizations.
“We get a lot of help,” Francis said. “It takes a lot of support. It seems like the right thing to do.”
The volunteer spirit was alive and well June 4 when ABODE and the group gathered to work on the Campus Park.
The work included painting, working on the roof, power washing and yard work.
The members of the Way Back Inn also presented the ABODE group with a plaque of appreciation. ABODE contributed labor, materials, lunch and a full-house of furniture. The company provides this once a year to the Way Back Inn.
“They bring everything,” Dorothy said. “We get to see the families come in and say, ‘We get to live here?’”
Vern and Dorothy were high-school sweethearts and married two days after she graduated. He is two years older and they have been married nearly 50 years.
Way Back Inn began in the early 90s by Larry Kennedy.
The first home renovated was Vivian’s Villa.
Today the organization has more than 10 homes in Kent, Tukwila and Renton.
Vern said when people come into them it is often with only the “clothes on their backs. We provide everything, including a washer and dryer. Sometimes people feel hopeful when they can take a shower and wash their clothes.”
He noted the housing is temporary, about 90 days, allowing people a chance to organize their lives. There are some units where families stay longer depending on the situation.
Vern noted the way out for many is education.
The requirement is it must be a family with children, and he noted the people coming to them include single moms, couples, some with domestic violence stories, and many other reasons.
Whatever the reason, Way Back Inn is a place to settle for time and piece a family’s life back together.
“That’s our payback,” Vern said.
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