Kenya Butler at Upon This Rock’s overflow space: “It’s a good place to come to. Let the people know.” Roger Atlas at 200 Orange St.: Next week, Bella Vista. Most days, Aaron Knox goes on at least one walk meandering around the streets of downtown. In a snowstorm, though, he looks f or a warm room full of “big hearts” where he can stay inside. Knox found such a room this weekend in Upon This Rock Ministries’ warming center at 645 Grand Ave. He’s been sleeping at the warming center, an extension of Upon This Rock’s homeless shelter, for a few weeks. During the snowstorm that started on Sunday, he’s spent most of his time at the center. All three of the city’s warming centers, as well as a couple of “overflow” spaces, have been following extreme weather protocols since Friday, meaning that they are open at all hours and will not turn anyone away. A total of 172 people stayed in warming centers and overflow sites on Sunday night, according to city spokesperson Lenny Speiller. City Community Services Administrator Eliza Halsey said that COMPASS outreach workers worked to locate people who were outside in dangerous conditions and urge them to come to one of the warming centers. While nearly 100 people had stayed at 645 Grand Ave. the night before (a mix of shelter and warming center clients), about two dozen remained inside early on Monday afternoon. Each warming center client got a mat, a blanket, and a pillow, while shelter residents had their own beds in the adjacent room. The clients received three meals each day during the snowstorm. Andre Moore at Upon This Rock’s main warming center: “It’s better than being out there.” In the warming center on Monday afternoon, several people paid attention to the movie playing on the screen. Others napped, or seemed to simply be enjoying a moment of peace with their coffee. “I’m personally very appreciative,” said Knox. “I don’t have a place to stay. No car. To have a resource like this, it’s very, very helpful.” He said he likes staying at Upon This Rock because “even though there’s a lot of rules, you have a lot of people here who have a big heart and want to help.” When the snow clears, he said, he’ll go back to his usual routine. “I’m gonna go outside downtown, go for a walk,” he said. He’ll “probably go to State Street” — that is, to Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen’s (DESK) drop-in center at 266 State St., another place where the staff are “kind and good people.” And he’ll “look for a job at the library,” probably the Ives Main Branch. The job search has been challenging, partly due to the fact that Knox has been in and out of prison for the past few years. He most recently got out the week before Christmas. He’s tried several companies that advertise job opportunities for people with felonies — Amazon, Walmart, Home Depot. No luck so far, but he hasn’t given up. When you’re homeless, he said, “you need patience.” Two “Overflow” Sites Open Jermaine and Robin Burke at Upon This Rock’s overflow space. Upon This Rock has also opened up a temporary “overflow” warming center in the basement of its main church at 882 Grand Ave. Last night, 11 people stayed in the overflow space, according to Robin Burke, who was staffing the shelter alongside her husband Jermaine Burke. A few had left for work, said Robin — headed either to their regular employment, or to seek gigs shoveling snow for the day. The Burkes said that the overflow space is expected to be open through Wednesday. The room was dark, as most of the remaining clients were sleeping, although some watched TV. At one client’s request, the Burkes reheated a plate of lunch: meatloaf and some mashed potatoes. Kenya Butler, who had just returned to the warming center after cleaning the snow off cars to make some extra cash, had one message for readers: “It’s a good place to come to. Let the people know!” The Hall of Records overflow space on Monday. Meanwhile, the city had opened another temporary “overflow” space for the warming center system on the ground floor of the Hall of Records at 200 Orange St. That’s where Roger Atlas and his friend, who wished to remain anonymous, have stayed since Sunday afternoon. Both Atlas and his friend typically sleep on the steps of First and Summerfield United Methodist Church at 425 College St. When sleeping outside isn’t tenable due to the weather, they both usually head to Union Station overnight. On Sunday, however, the bus system was suspended in the afternoon due to the storm. Rather than heading to Union Station by foot, the duo decided to try out the 200 Orange St. warming center. Unlike the official warming centers (and Upon This Rock’s overflow space), the 200 Orange St. location didn’t provide mats, blankets, or regular meals. Clients did have spaghetti and salad for dinner the night before due to the severity of the storm. Atlas said that a friend of his had tried to order food to the center that morning, but struggled to find a place that was open or capable of delivery. According to Community Services Administrator Halsey, “There was a meal last night because of the storm, but [200 Orange] is not set up as a warming center” — so it doesn’t serve regular meals the way other warming centers do. “We did confirm that DESK was open. We encouraged people to use DESK as a resource during the day,” she said. On Sunday night, Halsey said, there were over 20 open spots at other warming centers. “We did convince a couple of folks to go last night” to those centers, with transportation from the city, but no one was forced to leave 200 Orange St. For some, such as Atlas’s friend, the choice to avoid more established warming centers or shelters was intentional. “I don’t really like shelters,” said the friend. She doesn’t feel that they are safe. “I don’t like a lot of drama,” she said. When she has to sleep surrounded by a lot of other people, she prefers Union Station because of the guards who work there. During the snowstorm, she decided to stick with people she trusts, such as Atlas. There were a few incidents at the 200 Orange St. site, according to the security guard. He said there was an instance of illicit smoking in the bathroom as well as an argument (that eventually diffused itself) over what to watch on the television. Atlas’s friend said she knows two people who slept outside Sunday night despite the snow. They also sleep on the church’s front steps, but their spots are closer to the wall, so she figured they may have been more protected. She and Atlas took most of their belongings, except for their tents and sleeping bags. The wind may have destroyed those items. “We will probably go there to assess the damage” once the weather is easier to navigate, she said. She hopes to soon have an apartment of her own. She works part time at the Branford Dollar Tree and is actively receiving support from housing organizations, she said. “It’s gonna happen. I just have to be patient,” she said. Atlas, meanwhile, is moving into the Bella Vista apartment complex on Feb. 1. “Next storm,” he said, “I’ll be inside with my remote control and Channel 8.” The following warming centers are open 24/7 during the cold weather emergency: The 180 Center at 483 East St. Varick Church at 242 Dixwell Ave. Upon This Rock Ministries – 645 Grand Ave. (overflow: 882 Grand Ave.) The post “Patience” “Big Hearts” Fill Warming Centers Amid Storm appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less