Local homeless shelters prepare for winter months

By Charles Christian

Cold weather is here and community shelters are spending time and money to provide a safe place for the homeless community.

Major Ron Key of the Salvation Army said winter presents safety challenges for those without homes, and his agency does its best to meet their needs.

“We have nine apartments and we try to make sure people get what they need while they are in the apartments,” Key said. “But they are temporary solutions, and sometimes the waiting list can be long.”

The apartments at 602 Messanie St. house people for 30 to 60 days are only for families with children under the age of 18 so single men and women don’t qualify. Also, Key said the Salvation Army does not have trained staff for women who are in domestic violence situations. According to Key, that means that in a busy time like winter, Salvation Army’s staff seek other creative ways to help.

“So, if you’re on a 30-day waiting list to get in,” Key said, “Thirty days is a very long time in the winter months. So, if we can’t house them, we try to find another group in the community that can do so.”

One way of addressing the need is through the Salvation Army’s role as a warming center in the winter months. During these times, people can come into the facility, get a snack and even find winter coats and other items.

“We just try to do the best we can to help them in those cases,” Key said.

Community Missions, which has recently added apartments for women to its already active men’s facilities, is finding creative ways to provide food and a warm place to as many people as possible. Executive Director Rachael Bittiker said five straight days of 20-degree or colder weather triggers the opening of its overnight shelter which remains available until the spring.

The shelter is open from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. at 700 Olive St., with hours added in times of extreme cold. Being a warming center in the facility isn’t without cost to Community Missions, she said.

“To make sure that everybody staying indoors with us in the cold weather is safe, we have at least four people on staff assigned to the warming center hours,” Bittiker said.

This means that extra donations for Community Missions and other warming centers are particularly important, she said.

“Of course, we also continue our regular outreach activities, checking on those who, for whatever reason, choose not to use the warming shelter during the cold night,” Bittiker said. “The overall goal is to make sure that we are not having people that are dying on the street because of the cold temperatures.”

To assist either of these shelters, check out their websites at centralusa.salvationarmy.org/stjoseph and cmcstjoe.org. For more information on other warming centers during the winter months, contact the United Way of Greater St. Joseph at 816-364-2381.