MORGANTOWN, W.Va. –– The Catholic Charities West Virginia Warming Shelter at Hazel’s House of Hope is ready for the frigid temperatures and winter weather in the region.
Shelter Director Jessica Thompson said the facility on Scott Avenue first opened on December 11 and will operate through March 15. Those in the shelter have access to all the social service agencies, including the Salvation Army and their Day Room that opens at 10 a.m. Thompson said the Salvation Army provides activities, snacks, showers, and laundry facilities. Meals are offered Monday through Saturday at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. and on Sundays at 2 p.m.
“We have the warming shelter from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and the Salvation Army Day Room is available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.,” Thompson said.
The operation summary for the month of December shows a total of 34 people served, 62 percent of them males. The shelter has served five Monongalia County residents, 8 people from other cities in the state, 4 from out of state, and 17 from unknown addresses.
For Monongalia County Commissioner Tom Bloom, the numbers are a concern and evidence that unsanctioned efforts in the public actually prevent people from taking advantage of the warming shelter when low temperatures next week are forecast in the single digits.
“Those individuals promoting more blankets and things for the people in the encampments are not helping them,” Bloom said. “It’s doing the exact opposite, and this report shows it.”
Thompson said those who receive services have registered in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) but are not required to provide information about where they come from. The residents are asked about their birth date, social security number, and address, but they are not required to provide answers.
“We have a lot of people out of the area because the hospitals are just dropping them off instead of making sure they get dropped off back at their home address,” Thompson said.
The selection committee that reviewed proposals to operate the warming shelter did require a priority for Monongalia County residents.
“I’m adamant that we need to leave spaces for the residents of our county,” Bloom said. “This is over $200,000 directly from the city and county, and we need to provide services for them.”
Thompson and her staff are focused on providing care and services to the people that follow the rules; no behavioral issues were reported in December. She wants the help of others providing services to the same population to help direct them to Scott Avenue.
“All of the outreach specialists in the county, because a lot of the social services organizations in the county have them that work with the homeless, need to encourage the local homeless population to come up and use the facility.”