Emergency shelters seek volunteers ahead of winter weather
For the past decade, Sue Crothers has volunteered her time to make sure that her neighbors have somewhere to sleep during freezing nights in Salem.
Crothers, the warming center coordinator at Salem First Presbyterian Church, said that what tends to surprise new volunteers is the wide range of people who come in need of a warm place to sleep for the night. Among them are men still in their work clothes. In recent years, they’re seeing more women, more people using wheelchairs and walkers and more people who otherwise sleep in their cars.
When temperatures dip below freezing and the church opens its basement, they typically fill the 95 available spaces. People sleep on mats on the concrete floor, with blankets provided.
But the shelter won’t open at all without at least five people working at a time throughout the night.
“It really does depend on the community to step up and do this. Prior to Covid, there were plenty of volunteers. But after Covid, it’s been a struggle,” Crothers said.
This year, Salem’s warming shelters are looking for new recruits to help check people in, serve food, keep watch and be a friendly face for shelter guests. There are four, 4-hour shifts available to sign up for per night, from 6 p.m. through 8:30 a.m. Shifts begin before the shelters open at 7 p.m. and run through breakfast.
The shelters will open when nighttime temperatures reach 32 degrees. This year, they’ll run at least two Salem locations, according to Ashley Hamilton, deputy executive director of the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency which manages the network and coordinates volunteers.
The warming network has expanded in recent years to cover locations in the far reaches of Marion and Polk counties. In Salem, they’ll operate at the church, 770 Chemeketa St. N.E., and the ARCHES Day Center at 615 Commercial St. N.E. Additional locations in the area are still to be determined, she said.
Hamilton said they’re hoping for at least 150 volunteers throughout the region to sign up this year. Volunteers who sign up will be notified through an online system when a location near them opens and what shifts are available.
This year’s reliance on volunteers, Hamilton said, brings it back closer to pre-pandemic models. In recent years, ARCHES relied on more paid staff to run warming shelters, but state and city money to do so has decreased. In part, that’s because the state has shifted more money toward year-round, rather than emergency shelter beds. This winter, they’ll be operating on a combination of state funds and a $125,000 contract with the city of Salem, Hamilton said.
“While those (state) investments and growths are great, there’s still just not enough low-barrier, year-round shelter beds for everybody who would need one during a life-threatening weather event,” Hamilton said. “We’re looking for volunteers to help us bridge that gap.”
The call for volunteers also comes from the hope that it will enable more people to have conversations with their unsheltered neighbors.
“It really is an opportunity to humanize and make tangible the homeless experience,” Hamilton said. “It’s layered and complex. It’s an economic tragedy, it’s a medical crisis, it’s a civil liberties issue. All those things compound to being more than just the lack of housing. And hopefully through volunteerism, people will be able to see first-hand that everyone is worthy of dignity and respect, and ultimately shelter, especially during the coldest nights of the year.”
Those interested in volunteering through the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency’s network can apply online. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old and pass a background screening. Before working in the shelter, volunteers must attend a two-hour training session, offered in person and online each week.
The website also has more information on volunteering, and people can get involved at any point during the winter. Those with questions can contact [email protected].
At Salem First Presbyterian, Crothers will have at least one staff member from the Community Action Agency present each night, who is trained in deescalation should the need arise, which Crothers said is rare. Additionally, she’ll ideally have five people volunteering to heat up soup in the kitchen, plus three to four working to help people check in, secure their belongings and navigate the space.
Two more volunteers arrive around 5 a.m. to start coffee and oatmeal, and to help guests check out.
“We really, really enjoy doing this. Everybody that comes in the kitchen and volunteers is delighted by how grateful people are to come in,” Crothers said.
Crothers encouraged anyone who’s considering volunteering to give it a try.
“I think it helps the community to interact with this population, to get to know them, to see that it’s very diverse,” Crothers said.
Crothers said it’s a safe environment, but that she doesn’t want anyone to feel guilty if they don’t have the confidence or time to volunteer.
Those looking to get involved without doing a shift can donate Cup Noodles, instant oatmeal and soft snack bars. Guests especially enjoy bananas and easy-peel mandarin oranges, Crothers said. The church office is open for drop-off donations from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251.
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Senior Reporter Abbey McDonald joined the Salem Reporter in 2022, where she covers homelessness and housing. She previously worked as the business reporter at The Astorian. A University of Oregon grad, she has also reported for the Malheur Enterprise, The News-Review and Willamette Week.
