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EMERGENCY SHELTER PARTNERSHIP
A Brief History
In early December 2004, a group of
concerned community leaders partnered with the Mount Kisco Drug and
Alcohol Abuse Prevention Council, the Northern Westchester
Interfaith Clergy Association, and the leadership of the Village of
Mount Kisco, to address what it saw as a growing problem of
homelessness in Northern Westchester County. Reports
of homeless men suffering through severely cold winters and, in some
cases, dying from exposure, mobilized the group to develop a program
for a winter night emergency shelter. The core of the shelter
concept consisted of a handful of churches opening their doors to
offer a safe place to sleep to those in need of shelter.
The emergency shelter program began operation on January 24, 2005 at
the Bedford Presbyterian Church in Bedford Village, providing
shelter for four men. Volunteers from the organizing task force
provided coverage each night of that first week. The American Red
Cross provided the cots and bedding for the shelter. Once the need
for a winter shelter became clear, four other local congregations
agreed to participate; each provided at least two weeks of emergency
shelter over the course of that winter.
Since then, this group effort, now called the Emergency Shelter
Partnership, provided emergency shelter for the five coldest months
of the year--November through March. More than a dozen religious
organizations hosted the shelter, and many more community groups and
individuals lent their support through donations of volunteers,
meals, and funds.
How it Works
During the Shelter's weeks of operation, men (and occasionally
women) seeking shelter assemble each evening at the Mount Kisco
Police Station, from which they are transported to the host
location. A bi-lingual supervisor accompanies them and stays with
them throughout each night. The men are offered a meal and a place
to sleep. In the morning, they awaken early, have breakfast, put
away their bedding, and are escorted back to Mount Kisco.
Three evenings a week they are taken to the Boys and Girls Club for
a shower.
The Shelter resides at one host location for a week at a time and,
each night, requires the following: a space for the men to sleep;
one or two volunteers to stay overnight; one group or family to
prepare, serve and clean up dinner; provisions for breakfast; and a
minimal amount of clean-up. Other area organizations contribute
meals, financial support, or volunteers to spend the night at the
shelter.
Over the past winters, the emergency program has been a success.
Thanks to the community's dedicated efforts, homeless individuals in
Mount Kisco now have safe and warm shelter during the winter season.
Since the Emergency Shelter Partnership was established, there have
been no reports of deaths from exposure to the winter cold.
Contact Information
To find out more about the Emergency Shelter Partnership, or how you
or your organization may join the Partnership, please contact
Reverend Paul Alcorn at the Bedford Presbyterian Church, (914)
234-3672 or Mel Berger at the Mount Kisco Drug Council, (914)
666-0614.
Contributions Tax deductible donations to the
Shelter Program can be made payable to: |
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