WESTMINSTER — The Greater Falls Warming Shelter has come home to Vermont from its former location in North Walpole, N.H., and is now located on Route 5 in Westminster.
The shelter opens Friday, Nov. 15, for five months to provide a warm, safe overnight space for those who find themselves without another option.
“We are so grateful to Dave Gorham for offering us this space,” Board President Louise Luring said in a news release. “We have been looking for years for a location on this side of the river, and this spot meets all our requirements.”
The facility is located adjacent to Gorham's Mr. G's warehouse and most recently housed Best Septic. It has a fire-suppression sprinkler system, a requirement that has been difficult to meet, and a shower, an amenity the previous locations lacked.
“We want to thank our North Walpole landlords, Leo Howell and Aurelius DiBernardo, for renting to us for the last seven years,” said GFWS board member Shelley Temple. “Moving back to Vermont will make it easier for us to apply for grants and report to our current funders.”
As in the past, the shelter will open at 5:30 p.m. and close at 7 a.m., with two volunteers on hand all night. Other volunteers deliver a hot meal each night.
The shelter is looking for volunteers to staff two shifts: 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. and 1 a.m. to 7 a.m. Training is provided. Deborah Clark is the manager and can be reached at 603-445-7011 or Deborah_clark10@aol.com, or by emailing the shelter at gfwarmingshelter@gmail.com.
Donations of paper goods, coffee, towels, cleaning supplies, toiletries, winter gloves and hats, heavy socks and other consumables are always appreciated and can be dropped off during early evening hours.
The GFWS was founded in 2009 when the Brattleboro shelter was no longer able to shelter folks from northern Windham County. Since then, it has hosted 350 men and women in its 10-bed facility.
It provides services to towns in the Greater Falls area, including Rockingham, Westminster, Athens, Grafton, plus Walpole and North Walpole, N.H., although anyone is welcome.
The GFWS works closely with Our Place Drop-in Center, Southeastern Vermont Community Action, Pathways, Health Care and Rehabilitation Services, Springfield Supported Housing and other community organizations, with representatives of these groups serving on the board and helping direct guests to available services.
Funding comes from the Housing Opportunity Program of the Office of Economic Opportunity, the Bishop deGoesbriand Appeal for Human Advancement, the Bellows Falls Rotary Club, the Bellows Falls Woman's Club, corporate donors such as Chroma Technology, and individual community donors.
“These funders are the heart of our efforts,” said board member Carol Buchdahl, a member of the fundraising committee. “This area is a very caring community, as witnessed by what Dave Gorham is providing for the shelter.”
The shelter has plans for an open house once it is settled in at the new location.