Springfield’s Crisis Cold Weather Shelter program is a network of sites that open on nights when the forecast calls for overnight temperatures to drop to 32 degrees or colder. The shelters are primarily housed in places of worship throughout Springfield and are staffed by volunteers who take turns working and sleeping.
Normally, people seeking shelter can come to Grace United Methodist Church in downtown Springfield at 5:30 p.m. to get a warm meal provided by volunteers. While there for dinner, they can sign up to spend the night at a shelter they prefer, and then City Utilities buses transport them to the shelter site.
But due to a recent increase in incidents of disrespect to the volunteers and properties hosting shelter sites, members of the Crisis Cold Weather Committee decided this week to do a “reset” for three nights during this cold snap.
On Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights (Jan. 4-6), Grace United Methodist Church is not opening as the evening meal and shelter sign-up location. Instead, people seeking shelter will have to find their own ways to the shelter sites, which open at 7 p.m. Food is provided at the shelter locations.
Grace United Methodist Church is continuing to serve as a shelter site for women, but guests cannot come inside until 7 p.m.
‘Super difficult' decision to temporarily take away services
Emily Fessler with Community Partnership of the Ozarks said the decision to make this temporary change to the shelter program was not an easy one. Community Partnership of the Ozarks helps run Springfield’s Crisis Cold Weather Program. The cold weather shelter committee is made up of advocates, volunteers, service providers, representatives from several churches and those involved with providing transportation.
“It was a super difficult decision for our collective to make,” Fessler said. “And all of us, I think the sentiment was very much the same when we had to come to that decision. This is not what we want to do, you know. This breaks our heart to have to do this. But we need a reset. We want to make sure that we’re prioritizing the health and safety of our volunteers.”
Through this time of change to the program, transportation will still be provided in the mornings to get guests from the shelters back to downtown Springfield.
Fessler said the hope is that the handful of people who have been disrespectful and/or caused trouble will be reminded that the cold weather shelter program is run by volunteers.
“All of these people who are doing this are volunteering their time, and they are doing it because they care and they want to — not because they’re forced to,” Fessler said. “Nobody’s asking people to get on their knees and beg in appreciation for the work people are doing. But there’s a certain level of respect to the building and volunteers that are there.
“We try to make it as low a barrier as possible,” she added. “You can come in if you’re drunk or if you’re high. But if you do drugs or bring alcohol onto the property, that’s sort of an issue. And so there’s those boundaries put in place, specifically for the health and safety not only of the volunteers, but of the other guests that are there.”
The evening meal served at Grace has been attracting about 200 people a night. According to Fessler, the overnight shelters have only been at capacity once so far this winter, and no one has been turned away due to capacity.
To learn more about volunteering, visit the Crisis Cold Weather Shelters website, or fill out the volunteer interest form.
Do you need shelter?
Beginning again on Sunday, Jan. 7, a free dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m. at Grace United Methodist Church, 600 S. Jefferson Ave.
On nights when the temperature is predicted to drop below 32 degrees, shelter sign-up and transportation to the different shelter sites across Springfield will also happen at Grace UMC starting at 5:30 p.m.
Download the ShelterSGF App to receive daily notifications on shelter open/closed status.
Shelter locations:
East Sunshine Church of Christ — men
Grace United Methodist Church — women
Fairbanks/Drew Lewis Foundation — all genders and pets
Unity of Springfield — anyone
Sacred Heart Catholic Church — 2 nights a week for men
Revive 66 Campgrounds — anyone and pets
YouthConnect Center — ages 13-18
The GLO Center — 2 nights a week for ages 19-24
The following will serve as overflow shelters if/when the others are at capacity:
Venues 425 — anyone
Eden Village I — anyone (the community building at Eden Village will open as a shelter when it is too cold to use the trailers at Revive 66)
Harbor House — men with ID
