Battle Creek Shelters aim to get homeless inside

Shelters in Battle Creek have struggled to get some of the homeless inside this winter as temperatures stay below freezing level. From the Battle Creek Enquirer:

Jurnis Allen, a shift leader at the Haven, said it was people sleeping under bridges and out in the cold he's most concerned about. He said it can be hard to get some in the homeless community to come in out of the elements

.Allen said the Haven was working with the Battle Creek Police Department to clear out the usual gathering spot under the overpass and get them to try the shelter.

"From my understanding, it's mostly that they don't want to deal with our rules, or they're comfortable where they are," he said. "They have their territory that they'll be concerned about and they don't want to leave the area, because somebody might steal their stuff."

"We find it saddening, but we can't make them come in," he said.

While most shelters have opportunities for overnight stay, many shelters still have limitations on the duration of time or the hours of the day of which it is available. The Kalamazoo Gospel Mission it allows its residents to stay warm in main entry during the winter months. The is not the case at the Haven in Battle Creek:

Rogers said this was his first northern winter after bouts of homelessness in Texas and Florida. He was using the Haven's wet shelter intended for people who need a place to sleep but don't want to participate in the rest of the organization's programs.

Those residents have to leave the building in the morning and can come back at night.

"For me to keep warm, I had to go on over the Share Center, or I go to the Transportation Center until the library opens at 9 a.m.," he said. "Then I sit at the library pretty much all day long to stay out of the cold weather."

Keeping people warm is a high priority for the staff of both the Haven and the Share Center during the harsh Michigan winter.

"We have not had anybody (with frostbite), but last year, we had a few," the Share Center's Donna Hawes said. "One gentleman almost lost his feet."

Read the Full article:

http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20100111/NEWS01/1110310/-1/NEWSFRONT2/Shelters-try-to-get-homeless-to-come-inside