Faith program offers shelter every night

Joining churches around Bloomington, Allison Jukebox Community Center will transform into an overnight emergency shelter until March 31.

“The Interfaith Coalition came to us and told us they had six nights covered at churches around town,” said Danny Lopez, the mayor’s director of communications. The Center will cover the seventh night of the week.

As part of the Interfaith Winter Shelter program, the center will function as a shelter on Sundays, with First United Methodist Church handling Mondays and Tuesdays, Trinity Episcopal Church housing people Wednesdays and Saturdays and First Christian Church taking Thursdays and Fridays.

In addition to funds the Coalition has raised, a $5,000 grant from the city will help pay for staffing and equipment, Lopez said.

The IWS locations are described as “low-barrier” because they help house the overflow from permanent, year-round shelters like Martha’s House, Backstreet Missions and Middle Way House, Trinity associate rector Virginia Hall said.

“Martha’s House is usually full,” she said. “No one agency, no one group can do it all.”
The IWS will also take people who might not have been accepted at another shelter for one reason or another. For example, Middle Way is specifically intended to be a refuge for battered women and their children.

The IWS facilities only house adults with no children, Hall said.

“That’s another great need, but it’s one we can’t meet right now,” she said.

Tim Pritchett, facility coordinator for Bloomington Parks and Recreation, estimates that the community center can currently house 35 people.

“This past weekend, we had 11,” he said, referring to the first night emergency housing was offered.

However, Pritchett pointed out Sunday night was still relatively warm and said administrators will re-evaluate capacity if necessary in the coming months.

Volunteers are vital to the success of the emergency shelters, Hall said.

“We’re always looking for volunteers,” she said. “We might have enough volunteers, but we may not have enough next month.”

Every volunteer must go through training with IWS. The next session is 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 16 at First Christian Church.

More information can be found on the IWS Web site, interfaithwintershelter.org. IWS also accepts donations, including money, pillows and blankets, as well as gloves, socks and hats for patrons.

No religious affiliation is required to stay with the IWS. The rules are fairly simple – be respectful, no weapons, no smoking, no drugs and no alcohol on the premises, though inebriated people are not automatically turned away.

“We don’t do a Breathalyzer or anything,” Hall said. “As long as they’re respectful, they’re allowed to come in and stay.”