Council Approves Cold Weather Shelter

February 18, 2009

The Century Town Council has approved the location of an inclement weather shelter for the town.

The shelter will be located at Century’s Habitat building, using the dining room for sleeping and the kitchen to provide a warm meal.

The shelter location was determined by council member Gary Riley working in conjunction with Brunie Emmanuel with the EscaRosa Coalition For the Homeless. Emmanuel approached the council in early February looking for help in establishing a shelter in Century.

The next step in the shelter plan is to determine guideline on when to open the shelter, for instance, the overnight low that would trigger the shelter opening as a cold weather shelter.

Under the plan, the American Red Cross would provide cots for the shelter, and area churches would provide volunteers and food.

The shelter would provide a refuge from the cold and other inclement weather for not just the homeless, but also for those in substandard housing.

“You have folks that may be in a house but it’s not a safe shelter for them,” Emmanuel told the council.

Emmanuel told the council that in addition to the short-term shelter solution, he hopes to look at ways to improve the substandard housing that might drive people to use the shelter.

The shelter will not be used as a hurricane evacuation shelter.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News