A warming shelter to help Manitowoc residents in need has now been open since November 1st.
Pastor Matt Sauer was very instrumental in getting this vision to become a reality by relying upon community relationships and partnerships.
During an appearance Thursday on WOMT’s “Coolest Coast” with Jason and Tina Prigge, Pastor Matt spoke about the warming shelter.
“Folks who are homeless, some of these are chronically homeless and that’s defined as folks who have been that way for 12 months and have a mental health diagnosis,” he explained. “We’ve been meeting their needs and were approved by the city to have up to 12 beds. Most of those recently have been filled most nights and we actually had to turn some away, which as you can imagine has been gut-wrenching.”
The shelter is located at First Presbyterian Church at 502 N. 8th Street.
Sauer said they officially open at 8:00 p.m. each night.
“At that moment we have a hot dinner for the folks,” he revelaed. “Obviously they’re staying the night using cots and linens. In the morning, we also serve them a hot breakfast and let them know about two opportunities for a lunch.”
He said they issue lunch vouchers to Harmony Café at Grow It Forward and Dali’s Café.
Pastor Sauer describes the warming shelter as “not only a place for people to flop at night, but also to fill their bellies and be able to handle the day.”
