Cots inside a warming site at 2640 Portland Road N.E. on Dec. 10, 2020. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
On Monday night a new warming shelter with capacity to fit 75 beds opened as snow was falling in Salem.
About 30 homeless people used the shelter, located at 1185 22nd St., on Monday as temperatures hovered in the low 30s. It’s operated by The ARCHES Project, which runs a network of warming shelters in Salem during the winter months.
Laura Russo, shelter services program manager, shuttled people to the warming shelter from The ARCHES Project downtown or Church at the Park on Turner Road. The agency this year added a van service to get people free transportation to shelter.
If she saw someone lying on the street while she was driving, she tried to convince them to go to shelter.
First Presbyterian Church, one of the city’s warming shelters, was at capacity on Monday with 40 people, Russo said.
Those were the only two warming shelters open on Monday night. Warming shelters open nightly when the temperatures dip below 32 degrees and are intended as a way to get people out of the cold.
“Tonight I’m sure we’re going to have more (people),” she said of Tuesday, when temperatures are expected to dip into the low 20s.
Russo said ARCHES is always looking for volunteers and is also seeking to hire on-call shelter staff. To volunteer, visit arches.volunteerhub.com
She said ARCHES hotline received 279 calls on Monday from people seeking a ride or asking for more information about what shelters were open.
“We received a lot of calls in the middle of the night. Folks wanted pickup service. The shuttle has been a big help getting folks to locations,” she said.
The shuttle is a new addition to the warming shelter network this season.
At the Union Gospel Mission, more people are coming to shelter from the cold weather, said Alena Harvey, public relations lead at the mission.
She said the men’s mission is getting full but isn’t at its max capacity of 103 yet.
“We want to encourage our community to continue sending people our way to be sheltered,” she said.
She said women’s shelter Simonka Place has space available for emergency shelter in the midst of the cold weather. Bed availability can change from night to night.
At each shelter, if guests aren’t vaccinated, they must take an onsite Covid test, Harvey said.
The mission’s Search & Rescue outreach has been making rounds to the camp and to people on the street, Harvey said.
The outreach team hands out blankets, propane, sleeping bags, hot coffee, water, snacks, and warm clothing.
Brian Carrara, acting deputy chief of training for the Salem Fire Department, said the agency hasn’t had any reports this week of injuries or deaths reported in camps or city parks.
Unsheltered people in Salem have been especially vulnerable to extreme weather, with three homeless people dying during the late June heat wave that set a record 117-degree temperature.
Ardeshir Tabrizian contributed reporting.
Contact reporter Saphara Harrell at 503-549-6250, [email protected].
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