A shower.

A long-distance phone call.

Or maybe a place to sit without being bothered.

The Federal Way Day Center provides that and more to those without a home.

“We were closing up at the end of the day, and this man came up to me and goes, ‘You know, it’s quiet out there {on the streets},’ ” recalled Jo Cherland, division director for Catholic Community Services, which operates the center.

Cherland said, while the day center can be loud, with many conversations going on, the homeless man said as soon as he leaves, “You’re really not welcome from here to there.”

“You have to keep moving and, unless you talk to yourself, there’s really nobody to talk to,’” Cherland recalled the man saying. “So, he said, it gets very lonely and quiet out there.”

Aside from providing a social outlet and comfort, the center offers showers, laundry, food and case management services to those in need from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. It officially opened in December.

To celebrate the center’s grand opening, about 75 members of the community packed the facility, 33505 13th Place S., Monday.

Members of the Federal Way Day Center Coalition reflected on the long road it took to make the day center, formerly known as the day shelter or hygiene center, a reality, including years of fundraising and planning.

“There’s still bugs to work out, but at least it’s here and it’s open, and people can come here for what they need,” coalition member Jackie Blair said. “We’ve been working on it since 2013.”

St. Vincent de Paul, Sound Alliance, Catholic Community Services, Reach Out, the Federal Way Community Caregiving Network, Valley Cities Counseling, Multi-Service Center and many community churches all worked together to open the center. The Federal Way Day Center Coalition, which is comprised of eight to 10 people, connects the various groups together.

Last year, the coalition raised $102,000 for the center, and it plans to raise another $50,000 in 2017.

The center wouldn’t have been possible, however, without a partnership with the city of Federal Way. In November 2014, city officials committed to doing whatever they could to help.

The following year, in October 2015, the Federal Way City Council approved $100,000 toward the center’s operations for 2015 and 2016.

Mayor Jim Ferrell, Deputy Mayor Jeanne Burbidge, Councilwomen Susan Honda and Lydia Assefa-Dawson, and Councilmen Martin Moore, Mark Koppang and Bob Celski all attended the grand opening.

“It takes a long time to make something like this a reality,” Ferrell said, thanking the people who worked on the project.

“What Sound Alliance and Catholic Community Services and all the partners were trying to accomplish, is this: It’s hope. It’s a way out.”

Ferrell said it is “truly heartbreaking” to know people are living outside. In spring of 2016, the city launched a homeless encampment initiative aimed at cleaning up the camps and giving people resources to find housing or shelter.

“In regional discussions, we talk about homelessness and what we are going to do about really one of the most important issues of this region,” he said, noting he’s spoken to Gov. Jay Inslee and a Washington U.S. senator about the day center program.

“This will give people that toe-hold, that ability to crawl out of those woods and get out of this desperate situation and start their way back into real life and into the people that love them.”

Bill Hallerman, agency director for Catholic and Community Services King County, said the number of homeless people living outside has not been this high since the Great Depression.

“There’s a temptation to blame the folks that are outside, or because there’s so many of them, we get frustrated, but this place is a testament really, that’s not the right thing,” Hallerman said. “In tough times, we must move closer to the folks we serve.”

Helping homeless residents improve their situations and find homes has become a real, tangible goal in Federal Way.

Hallerman relayed a story he heard from a staff member last week.

He said the staff member was getting coffee at a Starbucks in Seattle when she was approached by a man who offered to buy her beverage. She told the man it was not necessary and initially wondered what his motive was.

“And he said, ‘No, no, no, it’s not that. Fifteen years ago, you welcomed me when I came into the door at a Catholic Community Services transitional housing program. That was 15 years ago. I’ve been working for 15 years in construction. I own my own home, and I’m about to retire, and I just want to say thank you for that wonderful process that started when I walked in as a homeless person,’ ” Hallerman said. “A number of people that were here this morning could be those folks.”

Whonakee King, day center program manager, said between 30 to 40 people visit each day. Most of them are men coming alone. All of them need a place to get out of the cold.

In her 12 years working in the field and six years as a Federal Way resident, King said she’s noticed homelessness in Federal Way has gotten a bit worse in recent years.

“The most [we’ve had] was 46,” King said of day center visitors. “I’ve had a couple of families come through here, but we don’t currently serve families, so they’ve stopped in and got referrals to other places.”

Blair said she anticipates King County will provide another $40,000 for center operations but still encourages donations to help pay for expenses, such as the $3,000-a-month rent, water and heating bills, food and other costs.

“I hope people don’t forget about it,” she said. “We have people in this room who give on a monthly basis, and it may seem like a small amount, but in the end, you add it all up and it’s wonderful. It keeps us going.”

To donate to the Federal Way Day Center, send checks to P.O. Box 4154, Federal Way, WA 98063 or donate through Catholic Community Services with a note that it should go toward the day center.

For more information about the day center, visit fwdaycenter.wixsite.com/fwdaycenter.