Interfaith offers shelter to people during winter

When IU students were avoiding the near-negative temperatures last winter, IU graduate student Michael Deane kept warm in First United Church, checking dozens of people experiencing homelessness into a winter shelter.

Deane calls check-in at Interfaith Winter Shelter “baggage claim” because, in accordance with the “low-barrier” status of the shelter, guests can arrive in any condition.

As long as guests abide by shelter rules and check all their belongings — including alcohol, drugs or weapons — at the door, they can stay.

Interfaith Winter Shelter is open November through March in Bloomington to provide a warm place for people experiencing homelessness to rest their heads.

The site of the shelter rotates between local places of worship and runs on clerical and volunteer help.

Interfaith is actively seeking volunteers for the upcoming winter season, beginning Nov. 1 and continuing through Mar. 31. Volunteers work three-hour shifts, and one night consists of five shifts covering 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.

For volunteers like Deane, shifts at the shelter provide unexpected encounters.  
A guest and communal favorite, described by others as a prolific talker and a “genius” despite his struggle with addiction, arrived at the shelter one night when Deane was on shift.

After learning Deane was studying vocal performance, the guest said he was going to sing a song and began a rendition of “Love Potion No. 9.”

“He was completely unaware that there was a line of people,” Deane said, laughing.

This is just one instance where Interfaith guests have touched the lives of volunteers.

Rev. Bruce Ervin of First Christian Church, one of the shelter sites, described the experience as “enlightening” for volunteers.

“They gain an education,” Ervin said, adding interaction with Interfaith guests serves as a helpful reminder to everyone that our current situations are fragile and impermanent.

Deane began volunteering because he said he felt that, as a student, he was in a very self-concerned time of his life.

“We often get so caught up in our own lives and responsibilities that we forget the needs of others,” he said. “I felt like it was my responsibility to do something that wasn’t all about me.”

Deane also said the nonchalance the Bloomington community seems to feel toward people experiencing homelessness is something that needs to change.

Ashley Zablocki, an IU undergraduate student and Interfaith volunteer, agreed. Her involvement with the shelter causes her to reflect on her own experience living out of her car during fall 2010.

“My heart is with these people,” Zablocki said.

She said it’s always nice when she can be with people who can overlook the circumstances.

Volunteers can set up cots, greet guests, monitor the site overnight, distribute
refreshments or lend a hand with cleanup in the morning.

Deane and Zablocki agreed volunteering experiences are invaluable.

“One of my favorite nights, I got in trouble with the shelter,” Zablocki said. “We started a karaoke night, and one of the guys got up on a chair and was singing ’80s and ’90s songs with me. And I mean, loud. We weren’t just whispering.”

Deane and Zablocki agreed these interactions are what make the experience distinct.

Zablocki, too, said working at the shelter has been an incredible experience. She said she always gets something out of working at the shelter and the job has pushed her out of her comfort zone.

“It’s changed my life, being able to talk to some of these people,” Zablocki said.

Follow reporter Anicka Slachta at @ajslachta.