The men’s emergency shelter will open for the season in just over a month, but if Delthine Watson has anything to say about it, it will be the last time that the shelter will be open only in the fall and winter months.
“People need a place to go…away from the elements,” Watson told WIZS’s Bill Harris on Thursday’s TownTalk. The weather is something we have no control over, so whether the shelter can provide relief from the harsh winter cold or the relentless summer heat, that’s what she wants to do.
“(Homelessness) is not a seasonal problem,” she said, “we’re just a seasonal shelter – at this point. But we are working on that.”
Watson, community network specialist for Community Partners of Hope, said plans to upfit the former City Road Methodist Church to become the permanent 12-month location for the men’s shelter is taking shape.
Once all the paperwork is signed – and the money raised to make the necessary renovations to transform the church property – Watson said they’d be able to accommodate more men.
“At City Road, we might be able to prepare meals and give the men a place to not just sleep,” she said, but also a place to socialize with others and make connections with other people.
CPOH is working hard to raise the money to fulfill the vision that’s been in the making for the past 15 years – this is the 16th year of operation for the men’s shelter.
This is the only men’s shelter in the four-county area, but Watson said they get calls from Durham and Wake counties and even from Virginia.
It’s hard to say just how many homeless people are in Vance County and beyond, but Watson said this about the problem: “When we are open, we are almost filled to capacity.”
“We have a lot of displaced people who have nowhere to go,” she said.
She said the shelter is a “beacon of light” to people who have nothing. “If you come to the shelter, we give you clean clothes, and a meal and we give you hope.”
The shelter opens its doors at 5:30 each afternoon, but staff doesn’t always know how many men will enter. They try to have various sizes of clothing on hand and Watson said they have a special need for pajama bottoms and underwear.
They’ve got a lot of socks, but she said she would never turn away a donation from the community.
We are Community Partners of Hope, she said, emphasis on community.
There are opportunities for individuals and groups to support and contribute to the shelter, from signing up to provide a meal to making a monetary donation.
Visit www.cp-hope.org or follow them on Facebook to learn about all the ways to help
“Whatever it is you’re willing to do, we appreciate it,” Watson said. “We welcome whatever it is you want to do.”
Here’s how she looks at homelessness: “it’s not a goal you strive for, it’s something that happens to you. Showing a little kindness can go a long way.”
The shelter staff and the community that offers support lets the men know that they are loved and cared for, she said.
Watson can be reached at 252.767.0344.
Make checks payable to CP-OH Building Fund of CP-OH Operating Fund, P.O. Box 1791, Henderson, NC 27536.
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