Organization opening warming shelter in Pocatello, and it needs your help
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POCATELLO – A charitable organization is seeking more volunteers as it prepares to replace a valuable community resource.
Valley Mission, a local nonprofit, has entered a partnership with Housing Alliance and Community Partnerships to open up a brand new warming shelter at 805 North Main Street. This will fill the gap left by the recent closure of a similar resource, providing safety from cold and freezing temperatures for those without shelter for the night.
“We wanted to make sure that we were a shelter where they got care, where they got an opportunity to genuinely sleep, get refreshed for the next day’s adventure, whatever that might look like,” said Valley Mission Director Karl Pettit.
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This shelter replaces the Refuge Warming Center, which operated at 309 North Garfield Avenue when it was the First Congregational United Church of Christ. The Refuge’s last year of operation was last year.
When Valley Mission heard about it, organizers began searching for a place to host a similar service. They found the old Convergys building. The housing alliance is developing the property into a mixed-use building, with residential units, office space and a warming shelter.
The warming shelter will open the first night temperatures are 25 degrees or lower.
Jared Mangum, executive director of the housing alliance, says the collaboration plays to each of the organization’s strengths.
“That’s how we’re going to solve problems,” Mangum said. “Each of (the nonprofits) helping in our own way to do what we can do to solve those problems.”
Those familiar with the Refugee Warming Center will find many differences between it and the new warming shelter, including cots to sleep on.
So far, Valley Mission has held two trainings, with 32 people signing up to be on the volunteer schedule. The nonprofit has another training scheduled for Dec. 22 at 6:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church.
A wide variety of people have signed up to volunteer.
“They’re just folks from the community. Some folks have had experience. They helped with the other shelter, or they’ve done different things around town to help people (and) they wanted to be a part of this,” says Mangum.
While Valley Mission organizers are excited about the number of volunteers, they’re still looking for more people to fill out the ranks.
Valley Mission will also connect people at the warming shelter with other resources, depending on their specific circumstances.
“We can get them connected to housing resources. We can get them connected to medical resources, mental care, if they need food, if they need other items. … We just want to get them connected to the right agency,” Pettit said.