Port Jervis Warming Center Aims for Year-Round Services
Organizers envision minimizing the need for a warming center.
By Fern Ashworth
As the days shorten and grow chilly, the warming station at Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church, at the corner of West Main and Hudson Streets, is preparing to open its doors soon to those seeking overnight shelter. Jack Austin and Dolores Schaefer, both actively involved with the warming station, believe there is an even greater need that they are determined to address. They are developing plans to establish a year-round program, called Together in Hope, for the approximately 12 to 15 individuals that Austin describes as “chronically homeless”.
The shelter provides a bit of comfort, in the form of cots, warm meals, and comradery, for the entire cold season, which is over 100 days, says Austin. On average, about 15 people (predominantly men) use the station on any given night, and most use it temporarily. However, a handful are there virtually every night and have been doing so for years. “To simply let them back in every November because they are still homeless doesn’t provide any intervention,” he said. Schaefer agrees, saying, “You want to make it more than a Band-Aid to prevent them from freezing.”
Their plan is to establish a year-round program for about 10 to 12 individuals, to end the perpetual homelessness and to “train and educate; get them cleaned up, get them mental health services, with the objective of actually preparing them to become successfully independent again, and have the funds to get them into their own housing.”
To achieve this, said Schaefer, will require a program that has to be “resource intensive”.
“The program needs to have a clinical social worker at the helm, not only giving one-to-one or group counseling, but who is really the support basis, helping individuals overcome obstacles,” she said, “making sure they get to counseling for treatment, and providing some incentives for that. ” This will be a challenge, she acknowledges. “Ten people may have ten different sets of needs,” she said, suggesting that in addition to the social worker, a second person may assist with life skills, such as preparing simple meals, opening a bank account, and planning a budget. “As they make progress getting some employment, going to AA or other treatment, someone checks in with them on a weekly basis to see how it’s progressing.”
The preliminary paperwork for Together in Hope is complete; they’re now in the process of getting their 501(c)(3) status, which will be submitted in the next month or so. The goal is to be fully functioning “in the next couple months,” said Schaefer.
The year-round program will be separate from the warming station, and where that space will be is still undecided. The second floor at the church would require additional bathroom facilities. New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance representatives would look at the space and determine its adequacy for year-round use.
As far as modeling their plan after an existing one, Austin doesn’t believe anything similar exists in the region.
“Nationally, there are other programs that deal with larger groups of people, almost institutional in some ways,” he said. “But nothing on a smaller scale, with local educational and training resources, and placement and follow-up.”
A large obstacle confronting them is the lack of affordable housing in the area. “There’s not that much rental stuff, and there doesn’t seem to be any equivalent to public housing, so people would have to get Section 8, I guess,” said Schaefer. Lack of public transportation is another hurdle.
Orange County Department of Social Services has shown interest in the program, and could be a substantial source of funds, said Schaefer, but wants to see a combined budget for the warming station and the year-round program.
“They (OCDSS) wanted it to be less than what we thought we needed,” she said. Additionally, a license would be needed to operate a year-round facility. Additional sources (state money for homeless services, private money and foundation money) would also be needed to support the program.
Despite the challenges, both Austin and Schraeder are committed to getting the program up and running. The warming station already receives substantial support from the city, and a “small army of people make food, which arrives like manna from heaven,” Schaefer said. Their hope is that the year-round program will break the cycle of chronic homelessness. “We have an initial board, which we need to enlarge. It’s moving forward.”
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