Northwest Arkansas organizations provide shelter from cold

Joe Coultas, shelter director for the Salvation Army, shows tubs of blankets Monday, Jan. 30, 2023, that will be offered to clients for their overnight stay at the shelter in Fayetteville. Coultas said blankets are a top need for the shelter this time of year since visitors are sometimes allowed to keep the blanket they use during a stay overnight. Blankets can be donated at the shelter in Fayetteville. Regional service organizations such as 7 Hills Homeless Center, Salvation Army and Genesis Church provided meals and warm accommodations for unsheltered residents as temperatures dropped below freezing and sleet moved into the area. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery. .(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)
Joe Coultas, shelter director for the Salvation Army, shows tubs of blankets Monday, Jan. 30, 2023, that will be offered to clients for their overnight stay at the shelter in Fayetteville. Coultas said blankets are a top need for the shelter this time of year since visitors are sometimes allowed to keep the blanket they use during a stay overnight. Blankets can be donated at the shelter in Fayetteville. Regional service organizations such as 7 Hills Homeless Center, Salvation Army and Genesis Church provided meals and warm accommodations for unsheltered residents as temperatures dropped below freezing and sleet moved into the area. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery. .(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)

The regional winter response team got to work early Monday providing shelter, meals, showers and a change of clothes to vulnerable populations as freezing temperatures and sleet crept into the area.

7 Hills Homeless Center opened two hours early at 6 a.m. Monday to provide warmth during the day for unsheltered people, Chief Executive Officer Mike Williams said. The plan was to open at 6 a.m. again today and keep an eye on the forecast, he said.

The center, along with other organizations such as Salvation Army, Genesis Church, New Beginnings Bridge Housing Community and the Northwest Arkansas Continuum of Care, form "the CREW," an acronym for collaborative response to extreme weather. A plan to provide around-the-clock shelter and meals for clients takes effect once the wind chill drops to 15 degrees.

7 Hills stays open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on those especially cold days. By 6 p.m., people are shuttled from the day center to overnight shelter at Salvation Army or Genesis Church.

Salvation Army in Fayetteville has 26 shelter beds and 45 overflow beds available. Its facility in Bentonville has 56 shelter beds and 38 overflow beds available. Genesis Church can accommodate 50 to 60 people. Pets also have a safe place at the shelters.

Extreme wind chill can cause frostbite, hypothermia or death if a person is exposed for long periods of time, according to the National Weather Service. Frostbite is the freezing of skin and the body tissue just beneath it. It first affects exposed body tissue where blood circulation may be limited, such as fingers, toes, the nose and ears.

Hypothermia is a dangerously low body temperature and is the most common winter weather killer, according to the weather service. Warning signs of hypothermia include uncontrollable shivering, memory loss, disorientation, slurred speech and drowsiness.

Williams said about 100 people went to the 7 Hills day center Monday afternoon.

Genesis Church has vans to take people to an overnight shelter and to 7 Hills during the day, said Janice Hanna, church administrator. Volunteers with other churches such as St. Paul's Episcopal and Good Shepherd Lutheran also help out with the shelter operation. The CREW alerts local law enforcement when the overnight shelter plan is in place in case officers come across people struggling outdoors, she said.

"People are very grateful," Hanna said. "It's not the Hyatt, but it's warm and it's a clean blanket and a clean pillow and a good meal."

Volunteers are welcomed to come help serve dinner at either of the Salvation Army's locations if they can make it there safely, said Emma Velastegui, spokeswoman.

Money for the sheltering effort comes from the Excellerate Foundation, Fayetteville's Community Resources Division and other local and federal sources. Yolanda Fields, Fayetteville's community resources director, said the city has applied with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide annual money to service organizations in times of extreme weather. The program would be called "SAFE," an acronym for sheltering assistance from extreme weather.

If approved, the Continuum of Care would receive $25,000 and 7 Hills would receive $15,000 annually. The city has not yet heard when the federal government may approve the program, Fields said.

"The goal is to have that SAFE program as an internal program that's a consistent, long-term situation, instead of having the nonprofits apply for funding every year," she said. "It would just be part of the budget every year."

The National Weather Service in Tulsa predicted wind chills between 9 and 14 degrees today, with a high temperature of 24. More sleet is likely during the day, but should subside in the evening.

Wednesday's high is projected to be in the mid-30s with minimal chance of precipitation, according to the forecast. Thursday and Friday should be warmer with high temperatures in the mid-40s.

 

How to help

To volunteer or donate, reach out to the following organizations:

• CREW (Collaborative response for extreme weather)

https://tinyurl.com/COLDWXNWA

• 7 Hills Homeless Center, 1832 S. School Ave., Fayetteville

(479) 966-4378

http://7hillscenter.org

• Salvation Army, 219 W. 15th St., Fayetteville

(479) 521-2151

http://NWASalvationArmy.org/

• Salvation Army, 3305 S.W. I St., Bentonville

(479) 271-9545

• Genesis Church, 205 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

(479) 442-1827

Emergency hotline for assistance: (479) 879-4467

https://www.genesisfayetteville.com/

Additionally, those seeking shelter can call 211 locally to be connected to resources.

Source: NWA Democrat-Gazette

 



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