PRESS RELEASE
Homeless Shelters on Alert as Mercury Drops
Salvation Army shelters in Minneapolis, St. Cloud, Mankato ready to serve more people as temps dip below zero this week
January 26, 2010 – Officials at Salvation Army shelters in Minneapolis, Mankato and St. Cloud are bracing for an influx of people seeking refuge from sub-zero temperatures this week. It’s a repeat of late December and early January, when shelter officials took in more people than normal because of dangerously cold weather.
A brief overview of each shelter is as follows.
• Minneapolis “Harbor Light” Shelter: Open 24/7, with a capacity of 450 people per night. This month’s attendance has increased 7 percent over January 2009. When temperatures drop below 10 degrees, the shelter’s newly-constructed chapel is used as a day shelter; at night, it is used as an overflow shelter if the facility runs out of beds. “Our largest night last month was 550 people – more than our capacity to provide adequately, but we will not allow people to be on the streets,” said Major Darryl Leedom, commander of the Twin Cities Salvation Army.
• Mankato Shelter: Open daily Nov. 1–March 31 from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. This men’s facility handles 18 to 23 guests per night in a bunkhouse-style setting. An extra 12 cots are available for overflow, plus additional space in case of emergency. “We are normally open and staffed 16 hours per day, but the hours were extended to 20 and 23 hours during the dangerously cold weather (earlier this month),” said Ron Baker, Homeless Outreach Director for the Mankato Salvation Army.
• St. Cloud Shelter: Open 24/7, with a capacity of 50 people per night. In December 2009 the facility served 126 separate people, a 15-person increase from December 2008. “We have been at capacity the last couple weeks,” said Karla Rolfzen, social services coordinator for the St. Cloud Salvation Army. “We are in the process of hiring a second case manager and two intake staff. We hope to have an additional 15 beds in use by mid-February.”
The Salvation Army Northern Division has been serving Minnesota and North Dakota communities since 1886. Today the Northern Division includes operation centers in dozens of cities across both states. These centers provide food, shelter, spiritual enrichment and more to nearly 500,000 people a year. To volunteer with The Salvation Army or to make a donation, please call 651-746-3400 or toll free at 800-SAL-ARMY. Checks made out to The Salvation Army may be sent to 2445 Prior Ave. N, Roseville, MN 55113. Click below to make an online donation.
