North Springfield Baptist Church houses warming shelter

For many people, winter means skiing, sledding and always having a warm place to come home to after the winter activities have ended. For those who are homeless, however, it is often difficult to find a safe, warm place to stay once the weather turns colder.
http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/north-springfield-baptist-church-houses-warming-shelter

North Springfield Baptist Church Houses Warming Shelter Submitted by VT Journal on Tue, 10/28/2014 - 3:33pm By LAUREN DRASLER The Shopper NORTH SPRINGFIELD, VT -For many people, winter means skiing, sledding and always having a warm place to come home to after the winter activities have ended. For those who are homeless, however, it is often difficult to find a safe, warm place to stay once the weather turns colder. This year, the North Springfield Baptist Church on Main Street in North Springfield will house the Springfield Warming Shelter. The warming shelter is scheduled to open on November 15, and will be open seven days per week from 6:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. “We have two rooms available for guests to use,” Shelter Site Manager Paul Cioffi said. “We split the men and women up for privacy concerns, and can fit a maximum of eight people in the facility.” Cioffi said the mission of the warming shelter is to provide a warm place for people to stay during the winter months. This is the second year of operation for the shelter, he said. The shelter is only open during the evening, which is why the facility is considered a warming shelter, rather than a homeless shelter. “We have two shifts for volunteers,” Cioffi said. “One shift is from 6:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. and the other is from 12:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. Both volunteers have to stay awake for their shifts for safety and accountability.” According to a press release from the Springfield Warming Shelter, during the first season of operation, 21 different people utilized the shelter and spent at least one night there. The press release also stated that the average number of guests per night was four, and that the maximum number of eight guests was reached twice last year. “Guests have to be 18 years old or older,” Cioffi said. “The state will find shelter for families, but we are unable to accept children here.” Last year, The Current bus dropped guests off outside the old Main Street Market in North Springfield on its route to Ludlow. Cioffi said that he hopes to continue this form of transportation so that the warming shelter is more easily accessible for guests. “The unfortunate thing about the location is the transportation issue,” he said. “The Current bus comes through once in the morning and once at night, but if the shelter was downtown then guests could walk here. Now people either need a ride or bus transportation is needed.” Cioffi said that his long-term goal in relation to the warming shelter would be that there were no more homeless people and the shelter could close. As a result of the warming shelter’s relationship with Springfield Supported Housing, Cioffi’s goal is already being put into motion. “We have the opportunity to work with numerous organizations in the area,” he said. “Last year, Springfield Supported Housing helped to find five of the 21 people that stayed here permanent housing. I hate to see anyone homeless, so if this [the warming shelter] can be a transition for someone to get into permanent housing then that’s great.” Cioffi said the Springfield Warming Shelter also has a good relationship with the Springfield Police Department and the community. “We met with members of the police force and town officials last year to tell them what we were doing,” he said. “They were happy with the way things went, and the whole town has been wonderful and supportive.” Although the facility already operated for one year, this year, renovations are taking place to improve the two rooms that guests will use. The rooms are being insulated, with sheet rock being put up as well. “The construction is funded through private donations,” Cioffi said. “The church is funding a good portion, and we’ve had a lot of volunteer labor support. The local churches have been great in providing financial donations and construction help.” North Springfield Baptist Church Reverend George Keeler is on the Board of Directors for the warming shelter, but was also instrumental in helping to start the facility. “I was called to the church six years ago, and the church had already voted to have the warming shelter here,” Keeler said. “Originally the third floor was going to be used, but the renovation was very pricey, so we looked for other options around the community. Nothing really was available, and we needed to find a better option, but then it was suggested to use the ground floor of the church.” Once the suggestion to use the ground level of the church was put forth, Keeler said the plans to set up the warming shelter really began in earnest. Keeler said that the whole process of finding a location for the shelter, and doing initial renovations in the North Springfield Baptist Church took about five years. Now that the shelter has been open for a year, Keeler said that his main goal for the facility is to get enough volunteers so that the warming shelter can remain open. “We have a great group of people who are committed to helping and getting the shelter staffed,” he said. “If we could get 60 volunteers, people could come in fewer nights a week, and the same people wouldn’t have to do three or four nights.” Cioffi also said that although monetary donations are appreciated, the greatest need for help right now is more volunteers. “The important need for the shelter is volunteers,” he said. “I get calls from people to volunteer every few days, and last year we had 45 volunteers. I’m confident that we will get the number of volunteers needed, but we won’t get the numbers unless people come forward to help.” The next volunteer training session will be held November 11 at 6 p.m. at the warming shelter. Those interested in volunteering should contact Volunteer Coordinator Patty Miller at contactpatriciamiller@gmail.com or 802-245-4699. Monetary donations can be mailed to Springfield Warming Shelter P.O. Box 243 North Springfield, Vermont 05150 and must be made payable to SEVCA. Food donations and prepared meals for guests are also accepted once the shelter opens. - See more at: http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/north-springfield-baptist-church-houses-warming-shelter#sthash.9vTHz7KI.dpuf 23 year old Jason M. Shaffer who also goes by the name of Todd Swan has a history of conning people out of money throughout Vermont. Avoid him and his hard luck stories or you may end up losing hundreds if not thousands of dollars.