Church, local organizations provide shelter from bitter cold

Frigid temperatures with dangerous wind chills swooped into the area Tuesday and Wednesday, prompting some of the homeless in Cape Girardeau to find refuge from the bitter cold in The Salvation Army building by day and at a church shelter overnight.

About 25 homeless people spent Tuesday night in the shelter at St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church at 516 North St., in Cape Girardeau, said church pastor Renita Green.

One middle-aged woman, who had refused to come to the shelter on previous occasions, came in out of the cold Tuesday night, Green said.

"That was a miracle," the pastor added.

"One of our volunteers saw her at a gas station and persuaded her to come in," Green said.

Temperatures plummeted into the single digits by early Wednesday. The National Weather Service reported a wind chill of minus 6 degrees in Cape Girardeau.

Green worried some homeless individuals might freeze to death in such deep-freeze temperatures.

"My biggest fear is finding people unresponsive in the cold weather," she said.

During the recent cold spell, some homeless individuals have sheltered during the daytime in The Salvation Army building on the city's southside.

The Salvation Army's Lt. Matthew DeGonia said, "We are always a warming center."

DeGonia added, "We put coffee on for everybody."

He said Wednesday afternoon "right now, we have six or seven guys in the lobby."

The Salvation Army opened its doors at 8 a.m. Wednesday, an hour earlier than usual, to allow homeless individuals to warm up. The organization also has allowed them to stay in the building past the usual 4 p.m. closing time, DeGonia said.

Cape Girardeau's municipal buildings, including city hall, Osage Centre and Shawnee Park Center, also double as daytime warming centers. But city spokeswoman Nicolette Brennan said no one had taken shelter in those public places as of late Wednesday afternoon.

Since opening Nov. 11, the "People's Shelter" at St. James AME has served 132 individuals, Green said. Some 25 of those are repeat customers seeking a warm place to sleep, an evening meal and a hot shower.

The shelter provides temporary housing from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. when temperatures are 35 degrees or below.

"We have been averaging about 15 people a night," she said.

Green said many of Cape Girardeau's homeless have come here from other towns in Southeast Missouri, often traveling here on foot. "There seem to be more migrants," she said.

Some have been released from hospitals and "have no place to go," Green said.

The Salvation Army and United Way of Southeast Missouri have aided the shelter.

But Green said the shelter relies on the efforts of volunteers.

About 25 volunteers help with the shelter, but Green said she could use more volunteers.

Anyone interested in volunteering is encouraged to attend an orientation session at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the church, she said.

Through Green's shelter efforts, a "lunch box" program has been launched. Under the program, churches and other groups volunteer to make sack lunches distributed to those in need, she said.

The homeless shelter also has started a program called "Plus One" for those who otherwise would go hungry. Customers of partner businesses have the option to pay an extra $5 to cover someone else's meal.

But providing the homeless a warm, secure place to sleep remains a top priority.

Green said she personally invites homeless people to the shelter. "I drive around at night looking for people," she told the Southeast Missourian last year.

But with milder temperatures forecast for later this week, Green said Wednesday she expects the shelter to be closed for several days, starting Saturday.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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