With temperatures expected to be below freezing for the next week, several local agencies have partnered to provide a homeless shelter at Genesis Church.

The shelter will open at 3 p.m. Wednesday in the church at 1820 23rd St. N., Golden Triangle Regional Homeless Coalition Director Susan Garton told the city council during its Tuesday meeting at City Hall. It will be open until at least 8 a.m. each morning, though shelterers can stay longer if temperatures are still 32 degrees or below.

The city, through the police and community outreach departments, is partnering with the homeless coalition, Lowndes County Emergency Management Agency and United Way of the Golden Triangle to run the shelter. The council voted Tuesday to match up to $2,000 in private donations toward the effort.

“We want to address the issue of our unsheltered citizens,” Garton told The Dispatch after the meeting. “They can’t stay on the street. This is frostbite weather.”

EMA Director Cindy Lawrence met Tuesday morning with representatives from the other agencies involved after her office and the police department were inundated with calls about where homeless people could shelter.

By the afternoon, the “Emergency Hope Crisis Response Network” had secured three rooms, along with men’s and women’s restroom facilities at Genesis Church. Cots for shelterers to sleep, Garton said, will arrive before the shelter opens Wednesday.

Garton said one room will serve as a common area, while the other two will be for lodging – one for men and the other for women and children. She estimated each lodging room could hold about 10 cots.

The shelter also will provide food, she said.

“Let’s do it for a week, see how the weather acts – because you never know in Mississippi – and then let’s proceed with a plan for there,” Garton said. “… I fully expect with the way the weather has been going, having it a week, being closed for three days and we’ll have to open it back up.”

Garton hopes Genesis Church will become the go-to location for a temporary homeless shelter during extreme heat or cold.

“It’s a sound structure. It has passed code,” she said. “It’s got all the fire detectors and carbon monoxide detectors, exit signs and fire extinguishers.”

What the shelter needs

The shelter needs six to eight volunteers per day to man it, Garton said. So far, she has Wednesday covered but needs more for the following days.

United Way is taking monetary donations through its website or by contacting (662) 370-1922, Executive Director Renee Sanders said.

Food, gift cards, cleaning supplies, blankets, towels, pillows and hygiene products can be dropped off at Community Outreach at 1607 Main St.

Glenda Richardson, community liaison for the police department, said anyone needing assistance can come to the Municipal Complex, where they can get a hot cup of cocoa. From there, officers will assess their needs and take them to the shelter if they wish to go. The elderly, disabled or those with pets can be taken to hotels, she said.

Citizens are encouraged to contact the police non-emergency number at (662) 244-3500 if they see a homeless person in need of assistance. Chief Joseph Daughtry said officers will more heavily patrol the area around Genesis Church while the shelter is running and will also be looking for unsheltered people who might want assistance.

He stressed no one will be forced to go to the shelter.

Those interested in volunteering or helping can contact Community Outreach Director Leonardo Dismukes at (662) 244-3525 or Richardson at (662) 364-1850.

Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.

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