Hello!
While spring is just around the corner winter still holds a grip on our guests here at Hundred Nights. We have been at or near capacity every night since opening on November 12th. Some nights, before the Overflow site opened on December 30th, there were 30-32 guests for the 26 available beds – and in actuality there are only 25 available beds here, since 1 bed is typically for an overnight sleeping staff member. We didn’t know what to do, so we started to ask “where can people go?” There was/is no way that Life Safety rules would allow more beds upstairs in the Shelter space. A temporary solution was reached with the City and Fire Department officials on December 27th to open the Resource Center for people to have a warm place to be inside overnight. People could stay awake overnight in the Resource Center and then could come upstairs to sleep during the day. Not the most ideal situation, but so much better than being out in the cold.
After the Overflow opened on December 30th, the situation eased up a bit, but it didn’t last long. Eight cots for 8 guests has been the maximum number at the overflow site for the past several years. This January that number increased to 12, based on need. Since January 1st, shelter has been provided to a total of 6 families comprised of 9 adults and 11 children – at one point there were 4 families here at the same time, which required 13 beds out of the 25 available here, leaving only 12 beds here and 12 at the overflow…… we began opening the Resource Center overnight again, and have had anywhere from 2 to 5 people staying awake each night.
When the guests who stayed up all night come up to sleep during the day, our usual cleaning and doing laundry work is in full swing around their beds, to say nothing of phones ringing, vacuums humming away and other business being attended to. It is not a quiet place to sleep! It has been a challenging winter for our guests indeed.
We continue to search for larger and less expensive quarters but so far have not found the right fit. It has been suggested to us that we should begin a capital campaign, in the event that we are able to locate a building in the near future. Please let us know your thoughts on that exciting idea!
We are looking for people who would like to help with this effort.
If you would like to make a difference in the lives of the families, women and men who come to Hundred Nights, please make a gift today. Every financial gift we receive enables us to help more people at a critical time in their lives, as they reach for the warmth of home. Thanks for being there for our community.
Best,
Mindy Cambiar
From the Spring 2019 Hundred Nights, Inc. Newsletter
