With the extreme cold temperatures hitting the lakeshore, Manitowoc’s warming shelter is ready to help those who need it.
Pastor Matt Sauer with the Manitowoc Warming Shelter explained to Seehafernews.com that the shelter wants to make sure that those experiencing homelessness have a place to go throughout the day, especially with these sub-zero temperatures.
Sauer noted that the shelter has made sure the Maritime Metro bus station is open.
“We transport some guests to hang out there during the day,” he explained. “It’s heated (and) there’s bathrooms there.”
Sauer says through the generosity of the community, the shelter can also get some hotel rooms available for those who need a place to stay.
“When we have more than the 12, we handle, we are able to send them there,” he noted. “Now, they need to be folks that are known to us that we can vouch for obvious reasons that we’re going to be on the hook if they do something inappropriate in the hotel.”
The warming shelter also does what’s called a slow morning, meaning that not everyone has to be out by 8:00 am like normal.
Sauer says he expects many experiencing homelessness to try and get a night at the warming shelter.
But since they can only take 12 people, the shelter will feed those who want it and will try and help them get a place to stay with a relative if they can.
Pastor Sauer says they are as prepared as they can be for this winter weather.
