MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – In Morgantown, elected leaders, organizations, and volunteers continue searching for a warming shelter for the upcoming winter. The city and county, along with other donors, have funds ready to assist, but finding an organization to operate the facility has been the challenge this year.
On WAJR’s “Talk of the Town,” Bartlett House Executive Director Keri DeMasi said they have agreed to expand their Triage Shelter in downtown Morgantown. Additionally, the day room at Hazel’s House of Hope will be open through the winter until the Salvation Army dinner service.
“Currently, we have 28 beds, and we’re going to add 12 to increase our capacity to 40,” DeMasi said.
Most recent counts of the homeless population in the area put the number at a minimum of 122 people who will potentially be looking for a place to keep warm during the winter.
“We know we don’t have a number that equals the number of people experiencing homelessness that would require those beds,” DeMasi said.
Reports indicate the cost of operating the warming shelter last year was around $140,000. But,. Fifth Ward Councilor from Morgantown and member of the Hazel’s House of Hope Board of Directors conceded they are having trouble finding a partner agency to help with the operation.
“Staffing over a 24-hour period, even for just four or five months out of the year, it’s extremely expensive to do that, and having the human resources—the folks that are trained—is extremely expensive,” DeMasi said.
DeMasi said people who come to the shelter this winter are not allowed to bring drugs or alcohol into the facility and must stay in once they check in for the night. She said they’ll keep as many people warm as possible this winter, and they’ll also evaluate those people for continued services and treatment.
“Performing an assessment and getting them connected with resources within our community that can help their different challenges with the ultimate goal of getting them back into housing,” DeMasi said.
There is still time to work out a deal, and officials have said their doors are open to any group or organization that might have a location, people, or ideas to solve the issue. But DeMasi said local organizations need to continue working together, looking for solutions.
“We have to be working together as opposed to operating in silos,” DeMasi said. “Often times, I think we do a disservice to our organization and a disservice to the very people we’re striving to assist if we don’t do that.”