HANCOCK COUNTY — The stories are easy to recall, said Jim Peters, the head of the Hancock County Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) before sharing details of people trying to stay warm during harsh winter nights.
There was the man named “George” who before county officials offered a warming center would often sleep in a dumpster behind one of the local businesses to keep the snow off of him. There was also the woman who during a stretch of severe weather and heavy snow walked from downtown Indianapolis to Hancock County because she didn’t feel safe at the shelters in Marion County.
For the first time since the county COAD started hosting a warming center for those in need during winter, there is partnership with the Hancock County Boys and Girls Clubs. Thanks to officials with the club, who offered the facility to serve as a warming center this winter, organizers will be able to provide shelter for up to 40 people at a time — a massive increase from years past when the COAD was limited to helping 12 to 16 people in need.
“We stress the warming center is for anyone who does not have safe, adequate heat in the winter,” Peters said. “It’s not just for folks who are homeless, but we’ll be open for anyone who doesn’t have heat.”
Earlier this year, Hancock County COAD received word from officials with the Hancock County Hope House that they could not help as a warming center this winter due to capacity issues. With other places they’ve used, such as The Landing, also having space limitations, there became a dire need of a new host facility.
“We were in a bit of a panic until the local Boys and Girls Clubs reached out to us,” Peters said.
Thanks to some remodeling at that facility, 715 E Lincoln St., Greenfield, the COAD will be able to host the warming center there as soon as this winter, and the facility can also be a disaster center when needed.
“It’s fantastic news,” Peters said. “We’ll be at the Boys and Girls Club in Greenfield every night we are able once the cold weather hits.”
Peters and other COAD officials — thanks to the help of Center Township Trustee Thomas Lopez and Boys and Girls Clubs Executive Director Chantel Fowler — had a walkthrough of the facility last week and ironed out plans. They can now host up to 40 people this winter when temperatures drop below 30 degrees or when the wind chill drops below 25 degrees.
“They even have plans to upgrade their kitchen there so we can do meals on the weekends,” Peters said. “They also have storage for cots and bedding so we don’t have to haul things and out every night.”
Peters noted that the Boys and Girls Club’s programs shut down around 6 p.m., so there will be no crossover of kids who visit the local club and those in need of a warming shelter. Plus, they’ll use the old gym to house people while the newer gym will still be open for community use.
“We’ll be coming in a different entrance, where those coming in for games and things will go in the main entrance,” Peters said.
The Boys and Girls Clubs local facility also has a feature some of the other hosting spots did not. Facility officials will now be able to help any children who have to stay the night at the warming center the next day by giving them a place to stay out of the elements during daylight hours.
“It’s tough to send kids out in the snow during the day where adults can do better,” Peters said. “The Boys and Girls Clubs will open their daytime program during the week to any kids who are under school age, and that’s huge.”
Part of the remodeling at the local Boys and Girls Clubs facility will include adding shower and laundry areas, Peters said. That’s something the COAD hopes they can offer people staying at the warming center in the not-too-distant future.
While the capacity to help others has more than doubled, Peters noted they could still use some volunteers to help oversee the warming center operations, particularly during the overnight hours. The more volunteers they get, the more nights they can be open to help others.
“If it’s 35 degrees and there is freezing rain, we’re going to try to be open, but it all depends on volunteers,” Peters said.
Peters said while the short term goal of the warming center is to keep people from freezing to death, they actually want to help families find permanent homes, and they plan to continue offering services to do that.
“Our goal is to get people back on their feet,” Peters said.
Anyone interested in being a volunteer for the COAD warming center this winter is encouraged to contact Peters at [email protected] or visit hancockcoad.org.
