Homeless residents on the Middle Peninsula will soon have a roof over their heads, access to food and warmth, and other resources, as Gloucester’s United Emergency Shelter Team (GUEST) program will open its doors beginning next Monday, Dec. 5.
More than 500 volunteers are prepared to cover the shelter 24 hours a day, seven days a week through April 3.
This is the fourth season for GUEST, according to program chair Kristie Askew. The night shelter program rotates on a weekly basis among about a dozen different host sites, mostly at local churches.
The day shelter will also be open once again this year, and will be located adjacent to the Gloucester Moose Lodge. Its mission is to provide clients with laundry and shower facilities; give them access to the internet to apply for jobs, and provide other resources.
Hosts for the night shelter include BridgePoint, Newington Baptist, First Presbyterian, Bethany United Methodist, Gloucester Point Baptist, Abingdon Episcopal, Olive Branch United Methodist, White Marsh Baptist and Susanna Wesley United Methodist churches. There is also another interested church, which has not yet been approved by the county, according to Jay Fox, member of the program’s board of directors.
“Three years ago, we had one or two churches on board,” Fox said. “When we started the program, we had (no commitments). We basically went week by week.”
An ongoing challenge for GUEST is finding enough volunteers to sign up for all of the time slots, Askew said. So far, the program has had three training opportunities, and only about 70 newly committed volunteers have shown up. The final training in order to volunteer to assist the program this year will be held at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 4, at Gloucester’s First Presbyterian Church.
The program requires that at least two volunteers cover the shelter at all times. According to Askew, the most difficult time slots to fill are the 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. shifts, Sunday morning shifts and holidays. “We’d ideally like to have three volunteers at each shift,” she said.
Last year, it was estimated that community members donated more than 7,000 hours of volunteer time to the GUEST program, Askew said. The program has just over 600 trained volunteers, though she said not all of them are active.
During the 2015-2016 season, Askew said 47 different clients came through the shelter, with an average stay of 34 nights. She said 4,536 meals were served to clients, including breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Tracy Williams has been hired as the new lead coordinator for the day shelter program this year. She will be supported by two assistants, who together hope to partner with agencies such as the Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Gloucester Resource Council to provide programs to help clients write resumes, get job interview pointers, seek affordable housing and learn other crucial life skills.
Bay Transit will be providing complimentary service to GUEST clients on its circulator bus during the day on Monday through Friday. During off-hours, church vans are used to transport clients to and from the day and night shelters and to other locations nearby.
Expenses last year for the program were approximately $15,000. She said she expects those expenses to double this year with the hiring of a new employee and expanded programs for clients.
Aside from needing volunteers, the GUEST program is also accepting donations to help run its program. Askew said checks made out to GUEST can be mailed to P.O. Box 743, Hayes, Va. 23072. Donations can also be made by visiting the program’s Facebook page or its website, http://glo6420guest.wixsite.com/guestshelter. For more information on the program, call 804-803-1755.