Can Pocatello’s only overnight warming center be replaced? If so, it’ll need volunteers
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POCATELLO – With winter fast approaching, a local nonprofit is working to find a way to replace the only warming center in the Gate City.
For people who didn’t have a roof over their heads during the winter months, The Refuge Warming Center offered them safety from cold and freezing conditions. The center, which was operated out of the basement of the historic church building on 309 North Garfield Avenue in Pocatello, is now officially closed, bringing questions about where the people who relied on it will go to survive the upcoming winter.
A local nonprofit organization called Valley Mission is working to fill that need. Karl Pettit, the director of the nonprofit, said he worries there will be dire consequences if they can’t.
“The biggest fear is that we’ll have people die on the streets,” Pettit said.
The Refuge operated in the building while it was owned by the First Congregational United Church of Christ. While the church was primarily in charge of it, Tami Moore, the Aid for Friends shelter director, said it was a “collective effort” by the nonprofits that serve the homeless population.
“It was something we all came together and said, ‘OK, this is what it should look like. This is the kind of training that’s going to need to happen.’ And so it’s always been a collective effort,” Moore said.
She also specified that The Refuge shouldn’t be confused with a shelter, because its primary function was not to serve as sleeping quarters.
“There are certain requirements that have to be involved when it’s a shelter. So with that being said, it’s not a place for them to sleep. It’s a place that throughout the night they can come in and get out and be out of the cold,” Moore said.
Moore said that this was a “life-saving” service, as Aid for Friends often fills up during the winter, and, “we have to get our people out of the elements that can kill them.”
In its final year of operation, during the winter of 2024/2025, The Refuge did not have volunteers readily available.
“They (had to) utilize the volunteers from the inside, which means the people who needed to stay there kind of ran it,” Moore said.
Moore said that the biggest struggle with keeping an overnight warming center open is, “finding the committed volunteers who are willing to stay overnight to do this.”
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Christ’s Love Vineyard bought the church building from FCUCC this May after its congregation voted to disband. The church is now using the room in the basement where The Refuge operated for its youth program.
Pastor Dustin Andrew told EastIdahoNews.com that his church doesn’t have the capability to run a warming center.
“I’m the type of person that if I’m gonna bring people in, I want to take care of them. And we’re simply not set up for that,” Andrew said.
While Valley Mission is hoping to find a temporary solution allowing them to supplement the purpose of the warming center, Pettit doesn’t yet know if it will be able to.
When people don’t have a place to go and escape the elements, Pettit said it can drive them to make some “bad decisions” or “put themselves in compromising situations.”
“Just to get out of the cold, they’ll find an empty building. … If it’s open, they’ll try to go wherever they can, where people won’t harass them, or at least just to get a little bit of warmth. So it’s literally a fight for survival at that point in time of the year,” Pettit said.
Pettit said that in the past, some homeowners have charged people just to stay in their garage with no heat. In other situations, women have put themselves in dangerous situations just to get out of the cold.
“That has a whole new level of trauma and just the abuse that goes on there,” Pettit said, adding that those situations often don’t get reported to law enforcement.
Pettit said that if Valley Mission is able to supplement the purpose of the warming center, it will need people that are willing to go through the proper training to volunteer their time.
“If they can volunteer for that, that’s huge. That’s extremely huge. That’s the biggest thing we need to get this puppy up and running,” Pettit said.
People who are interested in volunteering can contact Valley Mission at 208-232-6305.
“How great would it be, and encouraging it would be if (Pettit) knew he had volunteers on standby who are willing to be a part of this?” Moore said.