Judge hears arguments on whether homeless sex offenders should be allowed to stay in shelters near schools

Opinion: The problem here, is the shelters have no duty to interpret and enforce the law, they are using the law as a pretext to deny RSOs entry because they do not like having RSOs. The law -as written- is a mandate on the registrants, and if they have violated it, then the police should arrest them. I'd love to see a judge tell someone, they cannot come in out of the sub-zero weather in wintertime; that, will not happen. This judge is telling lawyers to resolve the problem for him, and I do believe he is siding with allowing RSOs to stay at shelters during such weather.

UPDATE: From the Michigan Messenger: "This challenge comes after a homeless sex offender froze to death last year after being turned away from shelters. It also follows a state appeals court ruling that determined homeless sex offenders don’t have to register because they do not have a place of residence." (Note: Homeless court decision was 2-2-2010 Mr Pauli died in January of 2009, therefore court decision was not yet applicable, but now muddies the water.)

UPDATE July 2011: " Michigan Supreme Court rules homeless sex offenders must report addresses to authorities" and they never resolved the Shelter Issue!

9-21-2010 Michigan:

GRAND RAPIDS -- A federal judge on Monday told attorneys to resolve issues over a state law that has prevented homeless sex offenders from staying at city shelters -- all within school-safety zones.

Advocates for the homeless filed a lawsuit against state and county officials, saying homeless sex offenders have nowhere to turn.

"In the meantime, your honor, we are moving into winter on the horns of a dilemma," attorney Norman Pylman, representing Mel Trotter Ministries, told U.S. District Judge Gordon Quist. The judge said he would issue a written opinion in two weeks if both sides cannot reach an agreement.

Homeless advocates said a law that prevents sex offenders from residing within 1,000 feet of a school puts the offenders at risk on the street -- and at risk of prosecution if they stay at a shelter.

Attorney Miriam Aukerman argued that homeless people, who only spend the night at shelters, are not residents. A state appellate panel, in another case, said it was not possible for homeless sex offenders to register addresses because they do not have a residence.

"I just think that the defense has an uphill battle trying to get around the word, 'residence,'" Quist told attorneys.

This lawsuit came after the January 2009 freezing death in Grand Rapids of Thomas Pauli, 51, who reportedly was turned away from a shelter because of a 1991 conviction involving a pre-teen girl.

Assistant Attorney General Margaret Nelson said shelters were under the mistaken belief they faced penalties if they allowed entry to sex offenders.

"They have no obligation under the statute to determine if the person is a sex offender or not."

She acknowledged the Court of Appeals said homeless don't have to register, but said it should be up to local police departments and prosecutors on determining if sex offenders violate the law. If a sex offender lists an address in a school-safety zone, authorities can't ignore it.

Nelson said not all of the plaintiffs are still homeless, or even living in Grand Rapids.

She said a challenge should come in a criminal case, with an actual defendant challenging the law.

Quist said: "I don't think that a person staying overnight has to worry about prosecution."

"I don't either," Nelson said.

But when he asked if "there would be no prosecution," she replied: "I can't assure you of that, your honor."

Enforcement of the law is a challenge, Grand Rapids Police Chief Kevin Belk said in an affidavit.

"Among other things, it is unclear whether registered individuals can stay in Grand Rapids' shelters, which are all located within 1,000 feet of a school," he wrote.

Linda Howell, representing Kent County Prosecutor William Forsyth, said Forsyth isn't willing to ignore the law -- nor does he want to audit shelter books to determine if a sex offender is staying at a shelter temporarily or living there.

Pylman, attorney for Mel Trotter, and William Farr, representing Degage Ministries, said their clients are committed to helping the homeless. They also work closely with police. Pylman said the law "puts us at odds with the very people we're trying to service."

Aukerman said her five clients, identified in court records by pseudonyms, have not been convicted of serious sex offenses. Three of them were convicted of high-court misdemeanors, she said. One of them was 19 when he had sex with his 15-year-old girlfriend, who told him she was 17. ..Source.. John Agar | The Grand Rapids Press

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Lawsuit filed on behalf of homeless sex offenders seeking shelter in Grand Rapids

4-8-2010 Michigan:

GRAND RAPIDS -- After Thomas Pauli was found frozen to death in a salvage yard last year, advocates for the homeless criticized a state law that kept sex offenders out of emergency shelters near schools.

Trouble is, all of the city's emergency shelters are within school zones.

"There has to be an acceptable way, so those people who have a (sexual-assault conviction) are not branded for life, and relegated to sleeping below the bridge," the Rev. Charlotte Ellison, of Heartside Ministry said Wednesday.

Attorney Miriam Aukerman, representing four homeless people with criminal-sexual conduct convictions, filed a lawsuit against Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Attorney General Mike Cox, state police Director Peter Munoz and Kent County Prosecutor William Forsyth.

Aukerman requested an injunction to prevent her clients, listed under pseudonyms, from being prosecuted if they stay in a Grand Rapids homeless shelter. She said the law was intended to keep sex offenders from buying or renting homes in school zones, not to prevent the homeless from having a safe place to stay at night.

"We're trying to clarify, if an individual who is homeless and on the sex offender registry has access to emergency shelter," Aukerman said in an interview.

She said her clients did not commit serious sex offenses, with three of them convicted of high-court misdemeanors.

She recently was contacted by a man who left the hospital after stomach surgery, and had to decide whether to risk trouble at a center, or recover on a park bench.

"We're seeing people who are really down and out who have nowhere else to turn," Aukerman said.


Degage Ministries and Mel Trotter Ministries also are plaintiffs in the lawsuit. It was filed in Ingham County Circuit Court before the state asked to move it to U.S. District Court.

State police and the Attorney General's Office, which would represent Granholm, had no comment.

Aukerman, who works for Legal Aid of West Michigan, took action after she and others asked state police to clarify the statute.

Attorney William Farr, representing Degage, said homeless people, shelters and police need clarification of the law.

"It puts everybody in a bad situation. I think there are real questions that should be answered," Farr said.

Grand Rapids Police Sgt. Steve LaBrecque said he doubted lawmakers realized the city's homeless shelters were within school zones. His department is not part of the lawsuit. Chief Kevin Belk, who was out of the office Wednesday, wrote to the state police as part of the request for a ruling.

Belk took no position on how the law should be interpreted.

Aukerman said her clients are in danger on the streets. She described them as:

• "Jane Poe," 23, learning disabled and emotionally and mentally impaired. Food stamps are her only income. She was convicted of attempted fourth-degree CSC. She stays at Degage, with friends or on the street. She has been beaten and raped and is "scared to be out on the street at night."

• "John Doe," 50, periodically homeless, lives on unemployment benefits. He was convicted of third- and fourth-degree CSC nearly 20 years ago. He fears he could "freeze to death" on the street.

• "Robert Rose," 52, a veteran, lives on disability, $270 a month. He was told he can't stay at a home for veterans because of a 2001 conviction for fourth-degree CSC. He also fears freezing on the street.

• "Mark Moe," 46, lives on $200 a month in food stamps. Unable to keep a job because of mental-health problems. He was convicted of fourth-degree CSC. He sometimes sleeps on the street, and "has been so cold ... that he feared death."

Aukerman wrote that all feared prosecution if they stayed at a shelter. They are not considered residents of the shelters, and leave with their belongings in the morning.

Both Degage and Mel Trotter said in the lawsuit they were under the impression those on the sex offender registry cannot stay in the shelters because of the school zone, and are "generally denied admission." The agencies want to set their own policies on admissions to prevent turning away homeless people who "could then die or be injured on the street." ..Source.. John Agar | The Grand Rapids Press

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Michigan appeals court: Homeless sex offenders don't have to register

2-4-2010 Michigan:

The Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled that homeless sex criminals don’t have to comply with Michigan’s Sex Offender Registry Act.

Thats not exactly what the court said, it said, the legislature did not provide a procedure for the homeless to register. Nothing like construing that in a way to start hysteria as was done above.

Many law enforcement officials — who often have to deal with sex offenders who claim they have no permanent residence — aren’t happy with the ruling.

In a published opinion released Tuesday that sets a statewide precedent, a three-judge panel unanimously upheld a trial court’s dismissal of charges against a homeless Ingham County man for failing to register, failing to comply with reporting duties and failing to pay registration fees.

The appeals judges ruled that it’s impossible for a homeless person to comply with the law, which requires convicted sex criminals to report their “domicile or residence” to police. The judges concluded that a homeless sex offender, by definition, has neither.

The judges’ opinion bluntly urges state lawmakers to fix the law. “The Legislature is free, indeed, empowered, to ... include a provision addressing reporting requirements for the homeless,” said the opinion signed by judges Jane M. Beckering, Jane E. Markey and Stephen L. Borrello.

“The purpose of (the Sex Offender Registry Act) is wise, and the Legislature is urged to consider changes so that a homeless person who does not have a domicile or residence may readily comply with its requirements,” the judges wrote.

The sooner that happens the better, in the opinion of Muskegon County Sheriff Dean Roesler.

“I certainly hope the Legislature takes a good hard look at this ruling and revisits the Sex Offender Registry Act,” Roesler said. “It’s going to be an obstacle to properly investigating the cases of who has failed to register and who has failed to comply with the act.

“The intent (of the law) was to keep track of persons who have committed the sex offenses that keep them on the sex offender list,” Roesler said. “It kind of defeats the purpose.”

Muskegon-area lawmakers, informed of the ruling Thursday by The Muskegon Chronicle, said they intend to take action.

“They’ve asked us to move forward on this, and we need to do it quickly,” said state Rep. Mary Valentine, D-Norton Shores.

“It sounds like a huge loophole that needs to be fixed,” said state Sen. Gerald Van Woerkom, R-Norton Shores. “I would think that we would have to find a way to register these offenders.”

The court case involves a Lansing defendant named Randall Lee Dowdy. Dowdy, now 61, was convicted in 1984 of five counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of kidnapping, according to registry records.

Dowdy was rendered homeless in 2006 after operators of an Ingham County homeless shelter kicked him out after learning of his sex offender status. He then failed to register his address because he had none while he bunked in abandoned buildings and public places.

The Ingham County prosecutor charged Dowdy with a felony and multiple misdemeanors. A circuit-court trial judge dismissed the case. The prosecutor appealed. The case went all the way to the state Supreme Court, which failed to reach a consensus last year and remanded it to the appeals court for a decision.

A similar case is going on in Bay City. ..Source.. John S. Hausman | Muskegon Chronicle

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Julia Tuttle homeless longing for shelter

Shelters prohibit registered sex offenders access even in sub-zero temperatures. Lawmakers nationally fail to resolve this issue.. We urge folks to contact your local lawmakers and shelters, and ask them to resolve this issue before another freezes to death. Here, not even an offer of help to other facilities, whats wrong with these folks? While Florida temps may not cause one to freeze to death, the recent temps are more than any human should have to stay outside in 24/7!

1-20-2010 Florida:

It seems as though everyone in Miami wants the cold weather to go away. Frankly, I’m starting to get annoyed by the growing number of complaints. There are homeless people out on the streets with no protection from the cold. What’s worse is that some of them are being turned away from shelters. How do you fathom?

This is what many homeless sex offenders in Miami have to deal with. Not only are they literally quarantined under the Julia Tuttle Causeway, but now even a night in a shelter to get away from the cold seems perfectly absurd. The Weather Channel reported low temperatures of 38 degrees on Jan. 9.

As the temperatures lowered and broke records last week, counties statewide opened emergency cold-weather shelters for the homeless. However, not all the homeless were welcome.

According to The Miami Herald, the homeless sex offenders, living under the causeway say they were turned away by the county’s homeless shelters due to strict laws imposed on sex offenders in Miami-Dade County.

Laws about where sex offenders are allowed to live (or do anything, really) vary from county to county and depend on the severity and nature of the crime for which the criminal was convicted. Under Florida state law, sex offenders can’t live within 1,000 feet of schools, child-care centers parks or other areas where kids congregate. Miami-Dade County, though, is stricter and places a 2,500-feet ban on its sex offenders.

To follow through with the law, the only place they can live in is under the Julia Tuttle Bridge. And here they are, trying to escape from the cooler breezes by the bay – being turned away from shelters on some of the coldest nights yet.


The law is clearly not on their side. Of course, many could easily say that they deserve this kind of treatment because they are dangerous criminals who prey on innocent children. Not all sex offenders are guilty of the same crime. Some sex offenders may be on the list for things like dating a minor. Yet, their crimes are not what we should be looking at.

These offenders have paid their time in jail. Because of the county’s strict restrictions surrounding where they can live after they serve their time, it is hard for them to find any place to live or even walk around.

The law forces them to cluster under highways like the Julia Tuttle. The law also forces shelters to ban them in near freezing temperatures. The law, with all its power and thirst for justice, has directly isolated them from healthy reintegration into society.

I understand that some sex offenders are responsible for heinous crimes. But I don’t understand how other types of criminals can come out of jail and live under restrictions a lot more lenient than those imposed on sex offenders. I wonder what the criminal records of the other homeless people in those shelters look like. It’s safe to assume that those who actually were let in were not your typical goody-two-shoes but they got in just fine.

There are 53,201 registered sex offenders in the entire state, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. For the registered sex offenders of Miami-Dade in particular, life seems to be a bit more troublesome.

By clustering former sex offenders and forcing them to live in unbearable conditions, the problem becomes bigger. It is shameful, disgusting and unjustified. ..Source.. Odette Barrientos/ Asst. Opinion Editor

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Activity up at shelters, car shops and expected to keep rising as temperature plummets

Shelters prohibit registered sex offenders access even in sub-zero temperatures. Lawmakers nationally fail to resolve this issue.. We urge folks to contact your local lawmakers and shelters, and ask them to resolve this issue before another freezes to death.

This article, unlike many others, is particulary egregious because this shelter has separate areas for men and women, and still will not allow sex offenders even in extreme weather, whats wrong with these folks?

1-8-2010 Missouri:

For many people in Jefferson City, car problems seem to be their biggest cold-weatherrelated inconvenience, as towing companies and body shops report spikes in business. But those who haven't always had roofs over their heads don't take the Salvation Army's warm beds for granted.

As bitter winds and subfreezing temperatures settle over Mid-Missouri this week, Alan, a resident at The Salvation Army's Center of Hope, is grateful to have shelter.

For the man known at the shelter as “Grizzly Adams,” it took some getting used to sleeping on a mattress after seven years laying under a makeshift tent at night.

A warm fire, a couple layers of jeans and a winter coat were all that kept Alan warm on the wintry nights. Sometimes, he was lucky to find a cabin or cave in his trek across the southeastern states the last seven years.

With survival skills he learned serving in the U.S. Army and a love for the outdoors, vagrant living wasn't too challenging for Alan.

For others who have no permanent home, blankets, coats, sweaters and other items can make the difference between frostbite and warmth.

In extreme cold weather, the Center of Hope allows an additional 15 people into its 40-resident facility.

“We've been pretty busy the last few nights with coldweather residents, and I'm sure that will continue with the weather continuing this way,” Shelter Director Vicki Bullock said.

Those who come in for the night sleep in the respective lounge areas on either the men's or women's wing. They also get two meals, as they may come in at 5 p.m. when dinner is served and stay until 7:30 a.m. after breakfast, Bullock said.

“Our breakfast numbers are tremendously up,” Bullock said.

Before anyone can stay at the shelter, either as a resident or an extreme-weather visitor, they must receive a free police clearance and agree to abide by shelter rules.

Some people ask for blankets, but don't want to stay inside, no matter how cold it is, Bullock said. In some cases, those are registered sex offenders who know they cannot stay in the shelter.

“With the weather the way it is for the next week or so, we could use some more blankets,” Bullock said. “The (downtown) church drive is a good thing.”

One man donated two comforters from his home this week after reading Sunday's News Tribune story about downtown churches collecting cold-weather items.

“We're providing winter relief and salvation,” said Maj. Kendall Mathews. “We're saving them from the normal elements and providing relief from the circumstances of life.”

“We've not had to turn away anyone so far,” Bullock said.

Mathews added, “If it got really bad, we'd open the gym or find space for them.”

The Salvation Army is seeking donations of:

- Blankets, coats and other cold-weather items.

- Fruit and other continental breakfast items for the increased number of meals being served at the Center of Hope.

- Personal kits and survival kits for those who sleep outside the shelter, including crackers, Vienna sausages, granola bars, fruit cups and hygiene products.

- Time - volunteers could help start a day-time respite at The Salvation Army.

Both Capital Region Medical Center and St. Mary's Health Center said they haven't seen many, if any, people come to their emergency rooms yet as a result of the cold weather. ..Source.. News Tribune staff

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Homeless sex offenders banned from cold-weather shelters

Shelters prohibit registered sex offenders access even in sub-zero temperatures. Lawmakers nationally fail to resolve this issue.. We urge folks to contact your local lawmakers and shelters, and ask them to resolve this issue before another freezes to death. Here, not even an offer of help to other facilities, whats wrong with these folks?

1-8-2010 Florida:

Clad in a thin hooded sweat shirt, Terry Norton trembles uncontrollably behind the wheel of his beat up Chevy.

His gas tank is empty, but he can't muster the strength to walk the two miles to buy fuel. With South Florida in the grip of a record-setting cold snap, he and other sex offenders and predators who live under the Julia Tuttle Causeway huddle in their cars, nylon tents and wooden shacks.

``We need help,'' Norton said, teeth chattering.

There's little relief in the forecast. The National Weather Service reports temperatures will move into the 70s on Friday but that a strong Arctic cold front is expected to arrive Friday night bringing cold temperatures -- again.

Those living under the Tuttle say they've been forgotten -- save for a few souls who delivered blankets and generators a few weeks ago.

This week, they say they were turned away by the county's homeless shelters because they are sex offenders. Under state law, sex offenders can't live within 1,000 feet of schools, day-care centers, parks or other areas where kids congregate. Miami-Dade has stricter requirements -- a 2,500-foot ban.

After six days in a row of bone-chilling temperatures, they have run out of gas for the generators. Some say it's just as well; few of them have space heaters.

Ron Book, head of Miami-Dade's Homeless Trust, concedes that as sex offenders and predators, they aren't able to stay in the shelters.

``They could probably search out some hotel, but they need resources for that,'' Book said Thursday.

The county has had workers out there handing out blankets, he said, but there's little else he can do that he hasn't already tried.

Finding landlords who will accept them is increasingly difficult, and some -- though not all -- of the offenders refuse to leave.

Depending on whom you ask, from 34 to 70 sex predators and offenders still live under or near the bridge. Book has placed 40-45 of them so far, and he says his agency will continue its effort.

``I feel bad, but they should talk to their probation officers -- they are the ones who put them there,'' Book said.

Later this month, the Miami-Dade County Commission will consider an ordinance that may ease the boundary that prohibits sex offenders and predators from living 2,500 feet from where children congregate.

The new ordinance will instead create child safety zones, whereby convicted molesters would be banned from loitering 300 feet from schools and child-care centers. It would also negate the hodgepodge of local laws that vary from city to city in the county.

Wilson, a resident who wouldn't give his last name, lives in a tent on the south side of the bridge.

``The wind whips through here. We thought they would move us out but they said no,'' he said.

Volunteers from Pure Mercy, a faith-based charitable group from Pinellas, visited at Christmas, handing out grills, a new generator, gasoline, food and clothing.

Executive Director David Lind said it was the third time they visited, and residents now think of him and his wife as if they were their mother and father.

``I don't think anybody deserves to be punished for their entire life,'' Lind said. ``These guys did what they did, there are very few who don't admit what they did. In essence, it seems like they are being punished by society by being stuck in a corner.''

Forecasters say it's highly unlikely the weather will be life threatening for those living under bridges or on the street.

Book, who was in a Super Bowl Host Committee meeting Thursday morning, said that in the past, during hurricane evacuations, the offenders have been offered beds in jails, but they've declined to stay there.

Wilson, a sex offender who served 18 years in prison, said they were told that emergency shelter is offered to them only during a hurricane.

``Even if I leave, how will I live? I have no job and no car to get there,'' said Wilson.

Wilson knows that many people don't feel sorry for him and the other sex offenders and predators; he concedes that some of their crimes are unspeakable.

But after spending nearly two decades behind bars, he says he feels more ostracized than cold-blooded killers.

``How is this making society safer?'' he asked, pointing to the monitor he must wear so that authorities know where he is every day.

Many of them just remove the monitors or let them run out of power, so that they can go into hiding to find warmth, he said.

As a gust of wind blows off the intercoastal waters, Wilson sips his cold coffee and considers what he will do to keep warm the next few days.

``It's been so cold that at times it seems like the water is standing still.'' ..Source.. JULIE BROWN

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Snowplows struggle to reach residential areas: Dozens of homeless show up at shelters

Shelters prohibit registered sex offenders access even in sub-zero temperatures. Lawmakers nationally fail to resolve this issue.. We urge folks to contact your local lawmakers and shelters, and ask them to resolve this issue before another freezes to death. Here, not even an offer of help to other facilities, whats wrong with these folks?

12-19-2009 Colorado:

He said the department had to borrow drivers today from the Pikes Peak Highway, traffic engineering department and the Park and Rec department to drive the city's plows.

With a hiring freeze in place for at least the next year, and the park and rec department also losing employees at the beginning of the year, there will be less and less people available to drive the plows as the winter goes on.

"People are going to have to find some patience because we won't be able to clear arterial streets in a timely manner," Peterson said.

The cutbacks mean the city will only be plowing residential roads with at least 6 inches of snow, and even then it's dependent on how passable main roads are. Peterson said that residential streets won't see a snow plow today.

"We can't move into residential areas until the arterial and collectors are as safe as they can be," he said.

The problem with this storm is that the snow is falling continually. As soon as city plows clear a street and sand it, they often have to return again soon because snow has covered up the sand. With the temperatures remaining frigid until late in the week, he doesn't anticipate any big change in conditions until the snow starts melting.

"We tend to put more sand on top of sand to keep everything passable and safe," he said.

On roads maintained by the county, Highway Superintendent Pete Cozzolino said plows should be able to reach residential streets today. He said there are 32 trucks currently plowing county-maintained roads with many centered around the worst-hit areas -- near Security and Fountain and west of the city, where a foot of snow is reported on Old Stage Road. There are also several trucks up north, near Monument and Black Forest.

The frigid temperatures and icy roads also put several school districts and businesses on two-hour delays this morning. Temperatures are expected to top out at 16 degrees today and remain in the 20s through Wednesday.

At the New Hope Shelter for the homeless, center director Gene Morris said there were about 56 additional people staying at the shelter because of the cold. Whenever the temperature below freezing, the center opens up around the clock, he said. However, the center will turn away people who are sex offenders, are drunk or appear to be on drugs.

"We'll offer to take them over to detox," he said. "If not, it's up to them where they go." ..Source.. Maria St.Louis-Sanchez The Gazette

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Community, shelters help Shore homeless as temperatures dip

12-16-2009 Maryland:

OCEAN CITY -- It is mid-December and the weather is getting colder and colder, which can become deadly without a place to hang your hat.

Fortunately, there are a lot of kind-hearted people on the Lower Shore who never remain indifferent to the problems of others.

Local shelters always expect to get crowded during cold weather. But recent years have shown that during the holidays and cold weather, homeless people are being helped more by community families, leaving a lot of beds available in the shelters.

There are three year-round emergency shelters in Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties that serve homeless people.

Diakonia in West Ocean City, which serves Worcester County, is one of them. It is a nonprofit private organization, categorized as a crisis shelter for men, women and families. It offers 40 emergency and transitional beds, food, counseling and help with future employment and permanent housing.

Executive Director Claudia Nagle said it routinely gets beds open, though family units stay occupied much longer.

"We have been completely full for over a month," Nagle said. "And we constantly get phone calls and people coming for help."

Even if there is no bed available, some assistance is still offered. Diakonia connects people with other shelters and the Department of Social Services, or suggests places where they can go.

"We don't have a waiting list," Nagle said. "We take down all the information, and then it's whoever calls or comes first."

Nevertheless, nobody is left without help.

Diakonia's food pantry is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and people do not have to stay in the shelter to get food.

Guests can stay in the shelter for 30 days if they meet all the requirements and follow the rules. They should be residents of Worcester County, be clean and sober for 24 hours prior to coming, abstain from drugs and alcohol, not be violent or a sex offender, and have a low income.

"We urge people to call before 3 p.m. so we will have time to find a place for them to stay if we do not have one, and we'll be ready for them," Nagle said.

Another Worcester County emergency shelter, accepting people from all three counties and located in Pocomoke City, is Samaritan Shelter. The shelter is open 24/7 and offers 28 beds for men, women and children, where they can stay up to 30 days.

Director Shelly Daniels said if guests follow the rules of the shelter, work and do not cause any problems, they are allowed to stay longer.

"We have a gentleman who has been here for four months because he could not find a place to move into," Daniels said. "We have a lot of beds open now; only nine are occupied at the moment."

Samaritan shelter feeds its guests three times a day. It also provides a food bank on Tuesdays and Saturdays and a soup kitchen on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

"Soup kitchen is for any people in the community who have low income or do not have income at all," Daniels said.

She has noticed there is a big increase in the number of people coming the last couple years.

"We used to serve just 10 to 12 meals," Daniels said. "This past Wednesday, we gave away 89 meals."

Daniels said most people needing the shelter lost their homes because they lost jobs, lost income and succumbed to mounting debt.

"We don't help people financially," Daniels said. "But we try to refer them to resources to help them. We also help them with finding a job and a place to move in, clothing, furniture and a lot more."

People can come to the shelter any time of the day or night and get help, though calls ahead are appreciated.

Salisbury

The only year-round full-time facility in Wicomico County is Christian Shelter Inc., located in Salisbury.

The shelter offers 50 beds for men, women and children, provides breakfast and dinner for its guests and gives bag lunches to children, people who work and to people with special needs. Stays typically do not exceed 30 days.

Administrator James S. Barnes said the most important service the shelter provides is counseling and helping people resolve problems that are causing continued homelessness.

"We provide people with spiritual guidance that things can be changed," Barnes said. "People get hope that things can get better."

During their stay, people are helped with finding jobs and securing permanent housing.

To stay at Christian Shelter, one only need be homeless and in need. Hours of operation are from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. (10 p.m. is the curfew), and the facility is staffed 24 hours a day.

"But we still ask people to come during the hours of operation," Barnes said.
Barnes said the shelter stays full most of the year, but not so much during the Christmas holiday.

"During the holidays and in really cold weather, families with houses get more friendly and sympathetic to homeless people," Barnes said. "In winter, there are a lot more people willing to help the homeless. A lot of community people take homeless people to their houses, especially if children are involved."

Barnes added it would become busier later in January.

"At that time, from January to March, several churches will open their doors for homeless men," Barnes said. "So there won't be any people in the cold weather."

The churches operate on a rotating schedule.

For the second time, Hope And Life Outreach (HALO) will open an emergency shelter for women and children for the winter months. It will be open from Jan. 2 to March and will offer 85 beds. People will be able to stay there all 90 days.

Executive Director Celeste Savage said guests will be provided with breakfast, lunch and dinner.

"But our main goal is not just to provide shelter," Savage said. "Our main goal is to give people hope and to help them to get out of hopelessness and homelessness."
Savage said during this time of the year HALO is usually crowded.

"January and February are always the busiest months for us," Savage said. "But I also feel there will be an increase in the number of guests this year due to a very bad economic situation."

All the shelters are very clean and comfortable and are ready to accept the homeless. Everyone is encouraged not to stay outside when it is freezing, but to go to the nearest shelter. ..Source.. Liudmila Chernova • Staff Writer

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Truly Homeless Sex Offenders

Even if all registrants of registries wore GPS units, that will do nothing but track them, GPS units do not prevent crime. Additionally, if the police are sitting at a screen watching the dots move around, the screen cannot tell the viewer what the person is doing. Tracking moving dots will not prevent crimes. GPS has two purposes: 1) To send an alert when the wearer enters a restricted area; 2) To make a record of where the wearer has been. Beyond those two GPS is useless.

12-15-2009 Massachusetts:

The city of Springfield has the highest number of sex offenders in the commonwealth. Many of them end up at the Friends of the Homeless shelter on Worthington Street.

Executive Director Bill Miller said, "It's not something we're happy about that sex offenders end up in shelter. But on the other hand, where do people want them to go? Once they are released by the criminal justice system they have to go somewhere."

The Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance is asking lawmakers to ban level three sex offenders from shelters. Level three refers to those who have been convicted of rape, indecent assault battery and are at high risk to offend again.

"They are a threat; there is no doubt about it. But saying that you can't live here doesn't minimize the threat. What it really does is divert people's attention from the reality of how do we want to manage this need in our society," Soldier On Shelter President John Downing said.

According to Downing, there are currently eight sex offenders at the shelter. All of them are required to enroll in a treatment program. He said kicking them out onto the streets will not solve the problem, instead it will make it worse.

"They are going to go to anyplace where they can get a bed or a place to sleep inexpensively and normally that will be where there are marginal families who need income so they'll allow these people," Downing said.

That means there is a greater risk for these sex offenders to be around children.

"I have to say I think that's one of the worst things that could happen. You want to know where these guys are," Miller said.

Currently the state only requires GPS monitoring bracelets for sex offenders on probation or parole. Shelter officials said a better solution would be to require every sex offender to wear a GPS unit to monitor their whereabouts at all times. ..Source.. Justine Judge

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Bid to ban serious sex offenders from shelters draws fire

Shelters prohibit registered sex offenders access even in sub-zero temperatures. Lawmakers nationally fail to resolve this issue.. We urge folks to contact your local lawmakers and shelters, and ask them to resolve this issue before another freezes to death.

12-14-2009 Massachusetts:

NORTHAMPTON - Proposed legislation that would ban from homeless shelters those convicted of the most serious sexual offenses is drawing fire from local observers.

Put forward by state Sen. James Timilty, D-Walpole, and other legislators, the amendment is supported by the advocacy group Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance (MHSA). Timilty told the Boston Globe last month a major concern is protecting recently homeless families from sexual predators.

But Jack Downing, president of the Solider On homeless shelter in Leeds, said forcing sex offenders out of shelters is a bad idea.

"I think we have the right to ban them from being close to schools, but where do you want them then?" Downing said. "We can't just ban somebody and not give them an alternative."

Bill Miller, director of Springfield's Friends of the Homeless and a former shelter director in Northampton, said the amendment proposes much too simple an answer to a complex problem. Many sex offenders end up on the streets because their status makes it difficult for them to get housing, he said, and many go to shelters because they have nowhere else to turn.

"I don't think it's going anywhere," Miller said of the amendment.

Jessie's House in Amherst is Hampshire County's only shelter for homeless families. Rose Evans, program director for the Center for Human Development, which oversees the shelter, did not return calls for comment last week.

Northampton's three homeless shelters, Soldier On, Interfaith Emergency Shelter and the Grove Street Inn, provide services to homeless individuals, not families.

Soldier On and ServiceNet, which operates the other two shelters, both belong to the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance, according to its Web site.

ServiceNet executive director Susan Stubbs referred questions about the proposed legislation to shelter and housing services director Andrea Miller, who did not return calls last week.

State Sen. Stanley Rosenberg, D-Amherst, also could not be reached for comment.

The proposed ban targets Level 3 sex offenders - those who have been convicted of crimes, including rape and indecent assault and battery, and deemed by the state Sex Offender Registry Board to be at high risk to offend again. All sex offenders are required to register with their local police department.

Under the proposed amendment, homeless sex offenders would be required to re-register on a monthly basis. Now, they must do so every 45 days. Offenders who are not homeless must register once a year.

One concern cited by Timilty and other supporters of the amendment is that many offenders claim to live in shelters but actually reside elsewhere.

As of Dec. 3, there were seven Level 3 sex offenders living in city homeless shelters, according to the Northampton Police Department. Three were at the Interfaith shelter, and four were at Soldier On. There were none at the Grove Street Inn.

Lt. Kenneth Watson said the department verifies that each offender it registers lives where he says he does. This includes contacting shelters, he said. Homeless offenders who do not live in shelters are required to describe where they spend the night, he said.

"I'd rather have them at a location we know about rather than have them wandering around," Watson said.

Shelter Alliance executive director Joe Finn told the Globe the proposed amendment could help shelters in tough financial times. State aid to homeless services was reduced by $2.7 million this year.

Also proposed is a requirement for all homeless Level 3 sex offenders to wear global positioning system (GPS) devices, which allow law enforcement to track their movements. Currently, state law requires GPS monitoring only if an offender is on probation or parole.

It's already nearly impossible for homeless offenders to comply, according to Marissa Elkins, an Amherst defense lawyer. She said keeping the system working requires electrical outlets and a telephone line - resources the homeless often lack and that shelters aren't always able to provide.

Downing, of the Soldier On shelter, said excluding sex offenders from shelters would be counterproductive in that it would reduce their access to the services most likely to keep them from reoffending.

"People don't get better because we say, #Don't come in my neighborhood,'" he said.

Soldier On, which is on the campus of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Leeds, offers a sex offender treatment program able to enroll up to eight people at a time, Downing said.

He said while there are often sex offenders among the homeless veterans at the shelter, none has ever committed a new sexual offense while living there. He said one client was convicted in 2007 of raping a 15-year-old boy, but previously had not been classified as a sex offender. ..Source.. JAMES F. LOWE, Staff Writer

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Lawyer asks court to allow homeless with sex offenses to stay at shelters near schools after Grand Rapids man died in cold last winter

12-12-2009 Michigan:

GRAND RAPIDS -- When Thomas Pauli froze to death early this year next to a car in an auto salvage yard, his friends were outraged that state law prevented the convicted sex offender from taking shelter at local missions.

Now, in the aftermath of the 52-year-old's death amid frigid temperatures, a move is under way to clarify a law that prohibits registered sex offenders from residing anywhere within 1,000 feet of a school or day care.

"No one, regardless of what they have done, deserves death on the street like that," said Miriam Aukerman, a Legal Aid of Western Michigan attorney taking up the legal battle on behalf of area homeless advocates.

Among the local agencies supporting the effort are: Mel Trotter and Degage ministries, the Servants Center, Salvation Army, Grand Rapids Area Coalition to End Homelessness, Guiding Light Mission and Bethlehem Lutheran Church.

Aukerman recently asked Michigan State Police Director Peter Munoz, whose agency oversees the state's Sex Offender Registry, to look at whether shelters should be considered the "residence" of a homeless person. Munoz declined to rule, saying the state police primarily only keeps the computerized database of offenders.

Aukerman now plans to ask a court to issue a decision.

Pauli, convicted in 1991 of molesting a pre-teen girl, reportedly tried to get into Guiding Light Mission or Mel Trotter Ministries the night before his death, but was turned away because of the state law. Officials from the missions could not confirm Pauli tried to get in, but could not rule it out, either and, last January, said they were obligated to turn away known sex offenders on the registry.

As winter weather descends on West Michigan again, the issue is important to local homeless advocates who do not want to see any deaths similar to Pauli's.

"I think it was an unfortunate turn of events with Mr. Pauli," said Chico Daniels, director of Mel Trotter. "I would not like to put people out in the streets. We are in this business of providing hope for those who would otherwise be without, but at the same time, we have an obligation to obey the law.

"It's a real tug of war for us," he said.

As temperatures dipped into the low teens Thursday night, Mel Trotter Vice President of Programs Bill Merchut said the mission would rely on the homeless to identify whether they are sex offenders and would not ask questions.

"Both (men's) missions have said that, in this weather, we are going to be available," he said.

Aukerman filed the request for a "declaratory ruling" with the state police on behalf of a 49-year-old man with a sex conviction from 20 years ago, and a 23-year-old developmentally disabled woman convicted of a sexual touching crime.

Both are concerned about being turned away from local missions in the winter, she said.

Aukerman argues that shelters are not a permanent residence for the homeless and are simply "night by night" accommodations. Homeless men generally have to leave both missions before 8 a.m. for the day.

"They bring their bags of things with them and they have to take their property the next day," she said. "It's much more akin to staying in a hotel."

Aukerman also argued that since all of the emergency shelters in Grand Rapids are within 1,000 feet of a school, the state law "effectively criminalizes homelessness." She does not believe the state Legislature intended "homeless people to freeze to death."

"We want to make sure the law is clear and no one suffers the same fate as Mr. Pauli did," she said. ..Source.. John Tunison | The Grand Rapids Press

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Homelessness in Quincy

Shelters prohibit registered sex offenders access even in sub-zero temperatures. Lawmakers nationally fail to resolve this issue.. We urge folks to contact your local lawmakers and shelters, and ask them to resolve this issue before another freezes to death.

12-11-2009 Massachusetts:

On nights like this when it's bitter cold, it's hard for anyone to get out of the comfort of their own home.

But what if you have no home to go to?

Homelessness in Quincy is a problem year round, but it tends to get worse in the winter when outdoor living conditions are brutal.

This is the Salvation Army's Emergency Shelter which is temporarily located on Quincy University's North Campus. It's empty during the day, but at night it's almost full. Wednesday night, 13 of the 14 available beds were occupied. Heidi Prather is the Shelter Manager. She tells KHQA most of the clients are men, but there are rooms for families. Before anyone can stay at the shelter, they must first go to the Police Department.

There a background check is run and police make sure the person is not a sex offender or wanted on outstanding warrants. If they are not able to go to the Salvation Army for one reason or another, other agencies such as Two Rivers Council of Public Officials can make accommodations for the night.

"Right now we're seeing a real problem with people who are looking at winter employment that has dried up. They are looking at where am I going to stay with the cold," says Melissa Holden.

Melissa Holden is the Executive Director of the YWCA in Quincy. That organization doesn't have an emergency shelter, but it helps women and children find homes on a more permanent basis.

"We want to put a stop to that cycle of homelessness because it's traumatic to children who are involved to be uprooted. Maybe they are missing a week of school while they are staying at a friends house," says Holden.

Holden was actually scanning the classifieds looking for places for clients to live. The YWCA is working on a new program to get people out of shelters more quickly and get back on their feet. Holden tells me finding suitable housing is hard to find because there are governmental regulations she has to follow. Those regulations are meant to keep people safe from things like lead paint. And in many older homes in a certain price range, there are still safety issues with the homes.

The Salvation Army will let someone stay in the shelter for 30 days.

But Heidi Prather says the Salvation Army works with their clients to try to find jobs and homes in those 30 days.

The overall goal is to not see the same clients in the emergency shelter month after month. ..Source.. Chad Douglas

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Come in from the cold: Men’s homeless shelter opens

Shelters prohibit registered sex offenders access even in sub-zero temperatures. Lawmakers nationally fail to resolve this issue.. We urge folks to contact your local lawmakers and shelters, and ask them to resolve this issue before another freezes to death.

12-8-2009 Iowa:

OTTUMWA — One Christian ministry volunteer said it broke her heart to serve a meal but then have to turn freezing men out into the cold with little more than a blanket and an “I’m sorry.” That scene could change starting Monday.

The Upper Room Men’s Homeless Shelter is scheduled to open then, with up to 20 beds available for men who have nowhere else to stay.

The shelter is downtown on East Main Street, above the Ottumwa Community Outreach Ministry.

“It’s been four years in the [making],” said Yvonne Baldwin, the new director. “We got our certificate of occupancy on Tuesday.”

When the inspector handed Baldwin the “yellow piece of paper” which said the men’s shelter was fit for human habitation, Baldwin said she felt like dancing.

“It’s about time,” laughed board member Ernie Davidson, who also oversees the mission’s kitchen serving those in need. “I’ve been looking forward to this for about four-and-a-half years.”

The idea started when former director Pauline Spurgeon was at the helm. Davidson said he’s spoken to her by phone about the Monday opening of the men’s shelter.

“She’s praying for it,” Davidson said.

The shelter has limitations on how long a client may stay, and they are unable to house sex offenders or anyone under 18. But they should be able to help a lot of people who need it, Baldwin said. Ottumwa has places that can assist a woman who is homeless, but this will be the town’s only shelter for men.

“It’s been a hard road, even financially, but we’ve been blessed because [the money is] there,” Davidson said.

At those times the money ran out, they had to ask for people to pound nails for free.

“We’ve had over 500 volunteers,” said Marty Schmidt, another board member.

Even with regulatory and funding setbacks, they had hoped construction would take about nine months, said Schmidt.

“It took [over] two years — I guess we were off by a ‘few’ months.”

And while one hard part is done, the next step could prove difficult — or at the very least, educational. ..Source.. MARK NEWMAN Courier staff writer

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Franklin County's homeless shelters face greater numbers, security issues

Shelters prohibit registered sex offenders access even in sub-zero temperatures. Lawmakers nationally fail to resolve this issue.. We urge folks to contact your local lawmakers and shelters, and ask them to resolve this issue before another freezes to death.

12-8-2009 Pennsylvania:

Editor's note: This week is National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week. During five open house events at shelters throughout the county, residents got to learn more about the homeless' plight in the area. Franklin County Commissioners signed Homeless Awareness Week proclamations at two sites.

Helping the homeless involves a lot more than food, beds and shelter from the cold, according to representatives of local homeless shelters.

In addition to those factors, they must think about security and protection, issues that might require screenings and criminal background checks before a person is taken in.

In some cases, the shelters might only check to see if the homeless person is a registered sex offender. No other criminal records are reviewed.

Trudy Wesley, director of the Homeless Shelter of Franklin County, said the facility follows the federal definition of homeless because the shelter receives federal funding. The definition states a "homeless" person is either an individual who lacks a fixed, regular nighttime residence and someone who has a residence that is a publicly or privately supervised shelter or a public or private place not designed to be used as sleeping accommodations for humans.

The shelter does a pre-screening to make sure someone applying to get into the shelter is qualified to be accepted.

Anyone who is diagnosed with a mental health issue that is prescribed to be on medication and isn't taking it can be denied admission. Sex offenders and anyone on federal parole is also not permitted in the shelter.

Anyone who has had major drug or alcohol problems in the past must be sober for 30 consecutive days in order to be guaranteed admission.

Wesley said each applicant has to be taken on a case-by-case basis.

"You can't have a cookie-cutter approach because everyone's needs are different," Wesley said.

Wesley also said that anyone looking to be admitted into the shelter that is unemployed has to be willing to go through a program that helps occupants gain employment and begin saving for their own permanent housing.

The Franklin County shelter has a capacity for 18 people and currently has five available beds.

Administrative Assistant Karen Riley said one of the reasons there are currently vacancies is that the winter cold has not hit the region yet, meaning many opt to sleep in cars, rather than go to a shelter.

"If they have a vehicle, they'd rather sleep in their car. I look for it in the next few weeks to increase," Riley said.

"It's a last resort. If they can find something else, they'll take it," Wesley said.

Waynesboro New Hope Shelter

Waynesboro's New Hope Shelter works with all people facing homelessness. It screens applicants to ensure there are not registered sex offenders, according to William Burcher, executive director.

"We must protect our other residents. We have women and children here," he said.

New Hope can hold as many as 40 residents. In September and October, it averaged 37, Burcher said. It now has 28.

The shelter accepts people from out of town, and even out of state. Most of the residents are from Franklin County, Burcher said.

"I do think the economy is playing a part in the homelessness, especially with the time they stay here," said Shari Houdeshell, the shelter's newest manager. "The faces aren't changing as quickly as they did in the past. It's taking longer for people to find assistance."

Burcher explained there are two criteria the shelter looks at in admitting people. First, the people must be willing to work if they're employable, he said.

"We have programs to help them find employment, and once they're employed, we help them find a home," he said.

Second, the shelter considers disability and whether the person is "between apartments," and needs a place to stay to save up money, Burcher said.

He said the shelter also takes people "right out of prison" as part of a home plan as long as they're willing to work. "We're a place where people get a second chance. When they come here they're at the very bottom. We give them a helping hand to help them out of a difficult situation."

Chambersburg cold weather shelter, Candleheart

The Chambersburg Cold Weather Drop-in Shelter, which is to be open from Dec. 4 to the first week of April, is an emergency shelter for the homeless to come out of the cold, said Craig Newcomer, shelter director.

Criminal background checks are not a requirement for entering the shelter or using its services, according to Newcomer. He said the shelter is for anyone who needs shelter. Women and men are welcome, regardless of their backgrounds.

Children can not stay at the shelter, he said, but staff will help a family make other arrangements.

"They have 14 days when they first come into the shelter. To get an extra night, they have to do four hours of community service," he said.

The cold weather shelter is typically opened from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., with the exception of the time for Bible studies on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. On those evenings, it opens at 9 p.m., Newcomer said.

Newcomer said the shelter is a totally faith-based program that is funded through various churches in the community. Last year, an average of 12 people stayed at the shelter, which can house as many as 20.

Newcomer also is director of the Candleheart Center on Fourth Street in Chambersburg, a nonprofit program of Maranatha Ministries.

"Candleheart is a program where we redevelop the mind-set with biblical principles, structure and the teaching of integrity," Newcomer said. "We try to give them a jump start on life with a positive mental outlook and attitude."

For Candleheart Center, a criminal background check is required for the use of the service. So far, a number of graduates have gone on to college, Job Corps and trade schools, according to Newcomer.

"We try to rehabilitate their mind-set and give them a hand-up instead of a hand-out," he said of the program that lasts about six months.

During that period, the clients participate in classroom study and teaching. They learn about career growth, goals and opportunities, and receive guidance on how to obtain those goals and opportunities, Newcomer said. ..Source.. KEITH PARADISE and ROSCOE BARNES III Staff writers

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COLORADO SPRINGS: Snowplows struggle to reach residential areas

Shelters prohibit registered sex offenders access even in sub-zero temperatures. Lawmakers nationally fail to resolve this issue.. We urge folks to contact your local lawmakers and shelters, and ask them to resolve this issue before another freezes to death.

12-8-2009 Colorado:

Up to 3 more inches of snow is expected to fall on the Pikes Peak region by Tuesday morning, continuing a fierce and bitterly cold winter storm that blew into the area over the weekend.

Colorado Springs crews struggled to keep up with plowing the roads and didn't expect to reach residential areas anytime soon. Dozens of people showed up at homeless shelters, fleeing the below-freezing temperatures. Exposure to the cold is a possible cause of death for two men whose bodies were found this morning in separate locations in Colorado Springs. Police are investigating. Forecasters for the National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for much of the Front Range including the Pikes Peak region from 6 p.m. tonight through 5 p.m. Tuesday. The storm could strengthen again Tuesday morning, and forecasters predict winds of 20 to 40 mph.

Through Tuesday evening, the weather service predicts 3.7 inches of snow in Colorado Springs, 7 inches in Woodland Park and 7.9 inches in Monument.

Travel conditions will remain hazardous. Icy, snow-packed roads made a skating rink out of many of roads around Colorado Springs today and have put the Colorado Springs police department on accident-alert status. Anyone involved in a crash that doesn't involve injuries, drugs or alcohol should report the crash to the police department within 72 hours. Reports can be filed online.

Traffic cameras throughout Colorado Springs showed streets partially covered with ice and snow, but vehicles were moving despite the tretcherous conditions. The Colorado Department of Transportation reported slushy and wet conditions on U.S. Highway 24 between Colorado Springs and Limon, and on state Highway 94 between Colorado Springs and Punkin Center. Interstate 25 was reported slushy and wet from Pueblo to Castle Rock, but the transportation department said it was dry from Castle Rock north to Fort Collins.

Trained observers for the National Weather Service reported 5 inches of snow on the ground in southwest Colorado Springs this morning, 3 inches in Black Forest and 3.5 inches northeast of Colorado Springs.

The first major snowstorm of the season was a taste of what winter could be like when services are curtailed because of budget cuts: longer waits for plows to hit main roads and residential streets that won’t be touched at all.

Funding for the city Streets Division has been cut, meaning there will be 15 fewer drivers by the end of this month.

“We are doing everything we can with the resources we have available but it will be very difficult to offer that same level of sevice if I'm short 15 plow drivers," said Allen Peterson, a support snow operations manager.

He said the department had to borrow drivers today from the Pikes Peak Highway, traffic engineering department and the Park and Rec department to drive the city’s plows.

With a hiring freeze in place for at least the next year, and the park and rec department also losing employees at the beginning of the year, there will be less and less people available to drive the plows as the winter goes on.

“People are going to have to find some patience because we won’t be able to clear arterial streets in a timely manner,” Peterson said.

The cutbacks mean the city will only be plowing residential roads with at least 6 inches of snow, and even then it’s dependent on how passable main roads are. Peterson said that residential streets won’t see a snow plow today.

“We can’t move into residential areas until the arterial and collectors are as safe as they can be,” he said.

The problem with this storm is that the snow is falling continually. As soon as city plows clear a street and sand it, they often have to return again soon because snow has covered up the sand. With the temperatures remaining frigid until late in the week, he doesn’t anticipate any big change in conditions until the snow starts melting.

“We tend to put more sand on top of sand to keep everything passable and safe,” he said.

On roads maintained by the county, Highway Superintendent Pete Cozzolino said plows should be able to reach residential streets today. He said there are 32 trucks currently plowing county-maintained roads with many centered around the worst-hit areas - near Security and Fountain and west of the city, where a foot of snow is reported on Old Stage Road. There are also several trucks up north, near Monument and Black Forest.

The frigid temperatures and icy roads also put several school districts and businesses on two-hour delays this morning. Temperatures are expected to top out at 16 degrees today and remain in the 20s through Wednesday.

At the New Hope Shelter for the homeless, center director Gene Morris said there were about 56 additional people staying at the shelter because of the cold. Whenever the temperature below freezing, the center opens up around the clock, he said. However, the center will turn away people who are sex offenders, are drunk or appear to be on drugs.

“We’ll offer to take them over to detox,” he said. “If not, it’s up to them where they go.” ..Source.. MARIA ST.LOUIS-SANCHEZ, SPECIAL TO THE CHIEFTAIN

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Freezing cold prompts Kelso church to open emergency shelter

Shelters prohibit registered sex offenders access even in sub-zero temperatures. Lawmakers nationally fail to resolve this issue.. We urge folks to contact your local lawmakers and shelters, and ask them to resolve this issue before another freezes to death.

12-8-2009 Washington:

Due to this week’s freezing temperatures, a Kelso church has opened an overnight shelter for the homeless, and Community House in Longview is allowing people to sleep in its lobby.

“We’re not going to leave anybody out in that type of weather,” Community House director Rich Kirk said Monday.

The mercury has dipped below freezing for the last several nights, and forecasters expect the cold streak to continue through Friday. Nighttime lows in the teens are predicted tonight and Wednesday.

The cold is believed to have caused the death of Longview resident Wade Giles, 53, who was found dead Friday morning in a vacant, unheated room in the upstairs apartments in the 1200 block of Commerce Avenue.

“It’s suspected that exposure is playing a key factor in his death,” Cowlitz County Coroner Tim Davidson said Monday, noting that the temperature hovered around 25 degrees the night Giles died.

The death investigation is still open, and Giles’ official cause of death is still pending, Davidson said.

Because of the life-threatening weather conditions, several church groups and community agencies decided to open an emergency nighttime shelter for the second year in a row at Kelso First Assembly of God Church, said church member Liz Haeck. Among those involved in the effort are PATH Lower Columbia Mental Health, Mountain Ministries, the Highlands Activities and Beautification Association and the Cowlitz County Department of Emergency Management.

“If there’s a need, we want to be available,” Haeck said.

The shelter opened Monday night in the church’s Activity Center upstairs at 300 N. 4th Ave (at the corner of Fourth and Academy Street) across from the Cowlitz County Administration Building in Kelso. Hot soup and finger foods will be served to guests, who may use the shelter from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m.

The church has several twin bed mattresses but could use more twin-sized sheets and blankets, said Haeck, who can be reached at (360)442-0612.

Although guests aren’t screened, the shelter is well manned, and staff members even keep watch while people sleep, she said. Unruly guests who refuse to cooperate will get the boot, and two people were ousted from the shelter last December.

Community House, at 1107 Broadway in Longview, has launched “Operation Frozen Foot,” allowing people to sleep in the lobby at night during freezing weather. (The Longview homeless shelter’s beds generally are full, and 78 residents are there now, according to Kirk.) If there’s high demand, the shelter will give the most vulnerable people priority: families, the elderly, disabled and medically fragile.

Even people under the influence of drugs or alcohol would be allowed in the lobby after 10 p.m. if they’re not disruptive, Kirk said. However, the shelter won’t bend on its policy of barring convicted sex offenders, because women and children live at the facility, he said.

Although the lobby can hold 10 people, only three people at most have taken advantage of “Operation Frozen Foot” on any night so far, Kirk said, calling the low turnout “a little bit surprising.”

Community House staff patrol downtown looking for people trying to sleep outdoors, but they haven’t found anyone lately, he said. Police know they can refer people to the shelter, and the shelter has been spreading the word among people who come to Community House to eat, he said.

“At least during this real cold season, there is a place they can go overnight,” he said.

You Can Help

Community House in Longview is seeking donations of blankets, sleeping bags, warm gloves, hats and coats for its residents.

The shelter also is requesting Christmas gifts for its 70 to 80 adult clients, who include people in the Country Run transitional housing program. The gift distribution is coordinated through the Salvation Army so people can’t “double dip,” said Community House director Rich Kirk.

“Many times people donate, but it’s always for kids,” Kirk said Monday. “We try to give presents to all the adults as well. ... Because we’re all big kids anyway, right?” ..Source.. Amy M.E. Fischer

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