How to donate
Donations can be mailed to Interfaith Hospitality Network, 501 W. High Street, Springfield, OH 45506.
Donors may designate funds to go to the emergency shelter, the women and family shelter or the single-men’s shelter.
Interfaith Hospitality Network has moved its emergency overnight shelter from East High Street to the former St. Paul United Methodist Church, 123 S. Yellow Springs St.
The shelter will be opened from 10 p.m. until 7 a.m. through March 1.
Interfaith, which serves displaced individuals and families, has seen its client-base double since last year and expects to see an increase in the need for overnight shelter during the winter as well, said Assistant Director Elaina Bradley.
“Through November of this year, 427 individuals utilized our shelter services, compared to 210 last year,” she said. “That’s a 51 percent increase.”
That does not include the Craig House, which can house up to 15 single men at a time and has had a waiting list of around 20 men all year.
Three individuals sought shelter at the church Thursday, the first night it opened, Bradley said. That is likely because word hasn’t gotten around about the new location. She expects more as the word spreads.
While the public is not often aware of the need, it is there, said Craig House Program Manager Doug Willis. Cold weather will send the homeless to abandoned homes, buildings or empty semi-tractor trailers — anyplace where they can survive through the night.
“We’re talking to men and women who are staying in abandoned houses or dangerous situations,” Willis said. “Come to the shelter and be safe.”
A private donor has funded the bulk of the cost to use the church but the agency still needs about $8,000 for operating costs. The shelter is staffed and provide meals.
The agency is currently selling Christmas trees from the Walmart parking lot on Bechtle Avenue as part of its annual fundraiser.
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