With frigid temperatures predicted for early next week, the Waynesboro Area Refuge Ministry is working to find a place for the region’s unhoused to stay warm and safe during the day.
Next week’s forecast is for lows in the single digits with highs in the teens. The coldest days will be Monday through Wednesday, Jan. 20 through Jan. 22.
WARM Executive Director Alec Gunn said he has had a discussion with Waynesboro Mayor Kenny Lee about the immediate need.
“It seems that he and the Council will be discussing some possible plans for the low temps and our unsheltered neighbors,” Gunn told AFP.
WARM begins picking up individuals for its overnight shelter at approximately 5:30 p.m. each day. However, they must leave the location by 7 a.m.
Many churches who offer pre-school are used as overnight shelters. When school is cancelled, the host sites sometimes allow unhoused individuals to stay longer, but that isn’t always the case.
Therefore, the greatest need currently is space from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
Earlier this month, Staunton offered its gymnasium at Gypsy Hill Park as a refuge during the day. The overnight shelter was being hosted that week by Christ Lutheran Church in Staunton so the location didn’t put a tremendous burden on staff and volunteers to get everyone safely to and from both locations. The additional cost for the non-profit each day was estimated at $1,600.
The shelter is being hosted this week by Seventh Day Adventist Church with overflow at St. John’s Episcopal Church, both in Waynesboro.
Starting Jan. 20, the shelter will move to First Baptist Church with the overflow shelter continuing at St. John’s Episcopal Church.
While solutions for the day are in flux, WARM has been able to offer respite at night without having to turn anyone away.
“The shelter has been running in Waynesboro the past few days and has needed to run our overflow shelter as well due to numbers,” Gunn said.
Regulations currently allow WARM to have up to 50 beds at two shelter sites in Waynesboro, and Gunn said they have not reached that maximum so far. The shelter is scheduled to remain in Waynesboro through Feb. 2 before shifting back to Staunton for two weeks.
In the 2022-23 winter season, Augusta Expo in Fishersville hosted the shelter for four weeks and allowed it to remain open 24/7. Augusta Expo is not listed among the host sites this winter.
For more information, visit warmwaynesboro.org
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Crystal Graham
