“We’re anticipating bigger numbers this winter.”

Gloucester United Emergency Shelter Team (GUEST) Executive Director Michelle Wells is gearing up for a long winter with more people in need of night shelter accommodations across the 10 counties GUEST serves throughout the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck.

This year, GUEST will be operating the winter night shelter from Dec. 1 through March 30. A church or civic organization will serve as the host site for GUEST for one week before the night shelter is moved to another site for the next week. This keeps going until the end of March.

“We are there Monday to Monday,” said Wells.

As cold weather begins to move in, GUEST is still searching for host sites in order to operate its night shelter through the winter months.

“At present, we have four weeks that do not have a host,” said Wells. Those four weeks are Dec. 8-15, Jan. 19-26, March 16-23 and 23-30.

“It doesn’t have to be a church,” stressed Wells. “It can be a civic organization.”

She said that a common misconception people have is that hosts need to have showers and an on-site kitchen. Those are not required as those in need of GUEST can shower at the day shelter. “In most cases, meals are brought in,” Wells added.

GUEST will bring in a trailer with cots, mattresses and other supplies on a Monday to that week’s host site. The night shelter operates from 6 p.m. to about 7 o’clock the next morning each day.

Clients of GUEST will be transported from the day shelter to that week’s night shelter by 6:30 p.m. when dinner will be served. After dinner, clients will play games and socialize until lights out at 11 p.m. The next morning, clients will be transported back to the day shelter.

Volunteers will help serve food, monitor the shelter throughout the night and assist clients in leaving the next morning. These tasks can be divided into shifts for volunteers to make hosting more manageable.

“We have a new volunteer training,” said Wells. The next training session will be held at Newington Baptist Church, Gloucester Main Street, on Dec. 7 at noon.

GUEST also has a new volunteer coordinator as an extra resource for volunteers.

Wells said that this is all in an effort to “just helping volunteers feel prepared.”

“Some are hesitant to jump right in,” said GUEST Board of Directors’ chair Linda Hodges.

Potential sites and volunteers who would like to help but do not feel ready to host yet can always volunteer with another church or organization to gain experience and feel more prepared for next year.

“They could do it individually or as a group,” said Wells.

Last year, the GUEST winter shelter did not start until the week of Christmas.

“Dec. 1 has always been the goal,” said Wells; however, there were not enough volunteer host sites last year to open the night shelter that early.

“It was worrisome, folks were out those first few weeks of December,” said Hodges.

This has been a difficult year for housing. According to Wells, six to eight people have contacted GUEST every week throughout the year requesting housing support.

“There’s no other emergency housing support between here and Maryland,” said Wells. “Shelter should not be seasonal.”

GUEST is concerned about a higher demand for winter sheltering this year. “The cost of living is higher,” said Hodges. “The cost of housing is higher.”

“What passes for affordable housing just isn’t affordable for the majority of our clients,” said Wells.

GUEST is always in need of monetary donations and cannot accept many physical donations due to space limitations. However, GUEST is accepting coats, hand warmers, hats, gloves and men’s underwear. No children’s items are accepted.

“Coats are the main thing,” said Hodges.

Wells and Hodges both remarked about the amount support GUEST routinely receives from the community.

“We’re incredibly appreciative of this community,” said Hodges.

“People are incredibly generous,” added Wells.

GUEST is hosting an open house on Wednesday, Dec. 3, from 4-6 p.m. at its day shelter. Prospective and current volunteers and donors are welcome to check out the shelter and meet board members.

To become a winter night shelter host site or volunteer, call GUEST at 804-792-5046 or email info@guestshelter.org.