So far this season, the Warm Welcome Shelter has been off to a slower start than in previous years. The shelter has been seeing fewer people showing up to stay overnight, leading to less overall use.
“The need is still there, but it’s just not as high this year,” said director of hospitality Colleen Jensen. “It’s currently not as busy as last year.”
Jensen noted that many of the previous years’ guests went back to homes in other provinces, countries or rather than sticking it out in Estevan, a community, like many others in the West, affected by the low price of crude oil.
“As the temperatures become colder, I feel the need is probably going to be higher. That’s why we’re keeping (the shelter) open,” said Jensen. “There definitely is a need in times of crisis, for people to have it available. And it is a crisis situation, because when it’s pretty cold outside they need a place right away.”
This year, the shelter has had two regular users, compared to last year’s total of nine regulars. Jensen noted there are three more potential regulars who may end up staying in the shelter later this winter, but aren’t currently staying there.
“The average use per night is about one person, for sure, on average. The last three or four days, we’ve not had a lot of activity within the shelter,” said Jensen, who attributed the lower use to the unseasonably warm temperatures Estevan has been experiencing lately. “There definitely is a need to keep the shelter open, though.”
Jensen emphasized the importance of the shelter staying open, even when not particularly busy, referring to one night, when the shelter was about to close down at 11:00 p.m., due to inactivity. Unexpectedly, someone showed up looking to stay the night at the last minute, just as they were about to close.
“We thought nobody needed to use the shelter, but we did have someone come to the door and stay for the duration until nine the next morning,” said Jensen. “It was needed. I’m quite happy the shelter was able to provide the individual the assistance he needed at that time.”
Jensen noted the shelter is always looking for volunteers, even when it’s not as busy as it has been in other years.
“We still need shift captains to be available to come aboard when the temperatures drop. Shift captains are the backbone of the Warm Welcome Shelter,” sand Jensen.“We have shift captains from previous years, and their experience definitely is a plus, especially for new volunteers that come onboard.”
Jensen said everything is back to normal, as far as scheduling is concerned. For a week, earlier this month, the shelter was temporarily located at the Salvation Army building, due to a high volume of events going on at St. Paul’s United Church. The accomodations have once again been split between the Salvation Army building and St. Paul’s United Church.
The Warm Welcome Shelter runs at the Salvation Army building on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, and at the St. Paul’s United Church on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The shelter opens at 8:00 p.m. and closes at 8:00 a.m.
