Brookhaven Warming Shelter: Volunteers Needed

Although we do not usually think about it, there are a surprising number of homeless people in the communities around us, and there is the danger of dying from exposure on very cold winter nights. To help alleviate this problem, OLA is partnering with other Brookhaven and Chamblee churches to open a winter warming shelter to house homeless women on nights when the temperature is at or below freezing. The decision to open the center will be based on guidance from the DeKalb Emergency Management Agency.

Pending approval from the city, the warming shelter will be in a Recreation Center. Although

not close to a MARTA rail station, the likely location is about a block from a MARTA bus stop.

The Brookhaven warming center will serve women only, and will have a capacity of 12 women. It will be open whenever the temperature is expected to be at or below 35⁰ for four consecutive hours or more.

The most important contribution required from the churches is volunteers to staff the shelter on the nights that it is open. The shelter will need volunteers to serve overnight, to handle reception and organization of the center guests, and to provide simple meals.

Because the center will serve women, all volunteers for the overnight shifts must be women, although the other shifts can be either adult men or women.

On nights when the center is opened, a signup genius will allow volunteers to sign up for the evening. In terms of effort, a warming center was opened about fifteen times last winter.

At the present time, there are no other warming centers in our immediate area, so the need is great.

If you would like more information on the program, please e-mail Deacon Ed Patterson at epatterson@olachurch.org.