Ryan’s House in need of donations for new well

A nonprofit organization in Coupeville is facing its own emergency.

By Kira Erickson • January 31, 2025 1:30 am
Photo provided Julee May, left, and Christina Linares use water from the portable tank and add it to the reservoir in the well house.
Photo provided Julee May, left, and Christina Linares use water from the portable tank and add it to the reservoir in the well house.

A nonprofit organization in Coupeville that provides housing, meals and shelters to young people in times of crisis is facing its own emergency.

Ryan’s House For Youth is seeking the community’s support after the collapse of the property’s 70-year-old well earlier this week.

“We came in on Monday and got hit with it right away,” Julee May, executive assistant and program coordinator, said. “We thought at first the pipe had frozen.”

The well’s failure comes on the heels of a recent $6,500 well pump replacement, which the staff had been told would fix the initial problem. That turned out not to be the case, however, and a new well needs to be drilled.

“We didn’t have water issues coming into this,” Executive Director Amber Truex said. “The pump issue was our first signal that there was an issue, and we had someone come out right away.”

A new well will cost Ryan’s House somewhere between $25,000 to $30,000. The nonprofit has launched a fundraiser. To donate, visit the link in the post on the Ryan’s House For Youth Facebook page. As of Thursday afternoon, about $5,000 has been raised.

In the meantime, the 22 young people who currently reside at Ryan’s House must rely on a temporary, refillable 500-gallon tank of water for showers and washing dishes; they have been buying water for drinking and cooking. Since toilets use so much water, they have had to resort to utilizing a port-a-potty instead.

“As long as we have water available, we’re able to keep our doors open,” May said.

It will be at least a week until work can begin on the new well, and that’s if sufficient funds are raised. Truex said Island County Human Services is trying to help with funding, and they’ve also reached out to the Department of Commerce and the Office of Homeless Youth.

Community members have also stepped up, with offers to buy bottled water or to fill the temporary water tank with their garden hoses. Sunbelt Rentals donated the portable water tank for a week, and Anania Trucking & Excavating has offered theirs for the next week and help with trenching and connecting the waterline to the new well.