Hosting schedule
Those who want to participate in the SHALOM program must be at First United Methodist Church, 120 S. Broad St., at 4 p.m. every day. The van leaves the church at 5 p.m. Call (513) 423-7821.
Here is the hosting schedule:
Jan. 9-15: Breiel Boulevard First Church of God
Jan. 16-22: First Presbyterian Church
Jan. 23-29: Healing Word Assembly of God
Jan. 30-Feb. 5: Spring Hill Church of Christ
Feb. 6-12: First United Methodist
Feb. 13-19: Christ United Methodist/First Christian Church
Feb. 20-26: Breiel Boulevard First Church of God
Feb. 27-March 5: Healing Word Assembly of God
March 6-12: First Baptist Church
MIDDLETOWN — With snow expected to accumulate throughout the day, homeless shelter directors are bracing for the onslaught of residents.
The city’s three homeless shelters — Hope House, Center of Hope for women and children and SHALOM — have reported high occupancy, and those numbers are expected to increase if the weather turns colder and the area receives substantial snow as predicted.
Those who live on the streets — whether that’s in vacant buildings, under bridges or in the woods — are more likely to seek shelter during inclement weather.
The frigid temperatures are “incentive enough” to get people off the streets and into shelters, said Carla Messer, president of the board at Hope House.
“They want to come in,” said Melissa Schwarber, executive director of the Center of Hope. “They can’t live on the streets with their children. Isn’t that the saddest thing?”
Schwarber said there are 29 residents — 20 women and nine children — living at the center. There were 42 residents last week, but some of them graduated from the program and found permanent housing, she said.
Roy Ickes, co-founder of Serving the Homeless with Alternate Lodging Of Middletown, said 20 homeless people spent the night Sunday at Breiel Boulevard First Church of God. The capacity is 28, though Ickes said SHALOM never has turned anyone away in its eight years.
With temperatures hovering in the 20s on Monday, Ickes said First United Methodist Church, 120 S. Broad St., Middletown, the shelter’s home church, stayed open so the homeless could stay warm during the day. Typically, the homeless are dropped off at the church at 7 a.m. daily.
Through SHALOM, the homeless are fed every night and morning by church volunteers, and they’re allowed to wash their clothes for free at the Express Laundry in Middletown.
At Hope House, Messer said the men’s shelter has been at capacity all winter. There are 23 beds in the wing, she said, and as soon as a resident move out, another moves in.
On Monday, she said, the mission received calls from four men seeking shelter, but only one bed was available.
C
ontact this reporter at (513)
705-2842
or
rmccrabb
@
coxohio.com.
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