TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Suncoast Pinellas News

Tarpon losing cold night shelter

ADVERTISEMENT

By Mark  Schantz | The Suncoast News

Published: July 2, 2009

TARPON SPRINGS - This winter the homeless could find there is no cold night shelter in this city or elsewhere in North Pinellas.

For the last 15 years volunteers from First United Methodist Church of Tarpon Springs operated the area's only cold night shelter under the auspices of the Red Cross. The shelter was part of the congregation's outreach ministry.

When wintery temperatures dropped below 40 degrees, homeless individuals and families from around North Pinellas and southwestern Pasco County could seek overnight refuge from freezing temperatures in the church hall. Shelter volunteers supplied a hot dinner and breakfast in the morning before sending the homeless people on their way.

Now, however, Henry Wellman, volunteer coordinator, says other congregation leaders have told him the church hall will not be available this winter because of structural problems.

The church's senior pastor, the Rev. Doug Zipperer, was in meetings Thursday and not available for comment.

In an interview Thursday afternoon, Wellman said he was told the building has termite and water damage. As a result, the building likely will have to be redesigned, he said.

Other groups have been told they can no longer meet at the hall, so it is not just the cold weather shelter that will lose use of the building, Wellman noted.

With the First Methodist hall no longer available, Wellman and other volunteers are now hoping the city, another church or a nonprofit group can provide space for a shelter. The facility would need to house upwards of 50 homeless individuals a night.

"We are facing a crisis," Wellman told city commissioners at Tuesday night's work session.

The heavy thunderstorms of the past week show the need for a year-round bad weather shelter, Wellman told commissioners. Still Wellman is only looking for cold night shelter space.

"Can you imagine how it feels being out there any night in the rain, with the lighting, flooding, mosquitoes and the snakes," he asked Thursday's interview.

Wellman noted the shelter had to be opened 12 nights this past winter, attracting a record number of people. "We were outgrowing the building on some nights," he said.

"We can only imagine that next winter the need will even be greater, as the number of homeless grows," he said.

The volunteers who staff the shelter when it is open come from many area churches, Wellman said. He hopes they will follow the shelter wherever it goes.

Wellman suggested the vacant former Tarpon Springs Fire Department station on Lemon Street would make a good shelter. It has a kitchen and showers, which would be ideal for a shelter, he said.

A shelter has to be in a location that the homeless can easily get to on foot or bicycle, he said.

City commissioners thanked Wellman for his information and asked City Manager Mark LeCouris to look into issue.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT