With outside temps expected to drop into the teens Dec. 11, and stay there until a relative warming trend hits a few days later, Shepherd’s House is readying its overnight warming center: the only one that exists in Portage County.
Located at 2645 State Route 59 between Kent and Ravenna, Shepherd’s House (formerly known as The Haven of Portage County) opens its warming center for 24/7 occupancy whenever outside temps hit 20 degrees or below. Everyone is welcome, with parents and guardians with children directed to a specially designated area. Open intake ends at 8 p.m. but police may refer and bring people in at any time.
Executive Director Anne Marie Noble said the facility can handle almost 80 people during the daytime and a dozen overnight.
Warming center guests are not permitted to access the dormitories. Overnight guests may rest and sleep on a dozen cots Shepherd’s House staff set up in the dining area.
There are no background checks. Anyone entering Shepherd’s House must agree to a thorough items check, and the facility uses a metal detector, as well. Anyone seeking entrance must show a photo I.D., though Noble said staff will take Polaroid pictures if someone has no photo documentation.
“We need to know who’s in the building for safety reasons,” she said.
Noble said if would-be unhoused warming center guests meet Shepherd’s House’s criteria — including passing a national background check — they may apply for the organization’s regular services.
Other than Shepherd’s House, only a handful of local establishments offer temporary respite from the cold.
The Center of Hope, located at 1081 W. Main St. in Ravenna, is open from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays. Hot meals are available.
Kent Social Services, located at 1066 S. Water St. in Kent, is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays, with extended hours until 5 p.m. the second and fourth Thursdays of each month. Hot meals are available.
Kent Council Member Jack Amrhein said the city has tried over the years to establish a local warming center, but has consistently hit the same roadblocks: lack of staffing, lack of volunteers and lack of space. Security issues mean schools can’t be used, and churches can’t guarantee staffing.
“This is our solution for the time being,” he said.
Village of Windham police approached Renaissance Family Center last year, but Executive Director Betty Gray said lack of staffing continues to prohibit the facility’s use as a warming center. People are welcome to come in from the cold from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. Hot meals are not available.
Renaissance Family Center is located at 9005 Wilverne Dr. in the Village of Windham.
Though Garrettsville Mayor Rick Patrick said the issue has been brought up in the past, the village still offers no options. Space could be available at local churches and schools, but staffing and security are real concerns, he said.
“I guess if there was more of a need for it, we might try to look further into it, but we’ve been pretty fortunate that we haven’t had anybody come to us with that,” Patrick said.
Village of Mantua Mayor Tammy Meyer said anyone who needs relief from the cold can come to the village hall, open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Village of Mogadore does not have a designated facility where people who need warmth can stay, said Mayor Mike Rick. In the event of a winter power loss, though, he encourages people to contact the village fire department for assistance.
Wendy DiAlesandro is a former Record Publishing Co. reporter and contributing writer for The Portager.