To the Editor,
Last year, The Winter Sanctuary realized its dream of securing a long-term location for a men’s emergency homeless shelter in Mount Vernon. It signed a rent-free agreement allowing it to use half of a building at 401 W. Vine St. Last month, it signed an agreement to rent the rest of the building for use as a women’s homeless emergency shelter.
On a daily basis, the shelters serve up to 18 men and six women who use the facilities to sleep, eat some meals and meet with our advocate, Heidi, who helps them connect with resources they need to get their lives back on track.
Furnishing the bedrooms, kitchens, lounge and office space, and keeping the shelters stocked with the necessary supplies, would not be possible without immense support from the community. We have been blessed with donations by individuals of food, clothing, furnishings, materials, and supplies. Businesses, including but not limited to, Lowe’s of Mount Vernon, Paw Patch Quilt Shop, and the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, donated materials and furnishings. Generous financial donations to cover start-up costs and rent were given by churches.
While our focus here is on contributions toward the operation of the shelter, we want once again to acknowledge the community agencies, businesses, and individuals through whose generosity a fully-renovated building, and the services of a director and advocate, were made available.
As the end of our first season in our new building nears, with the closing of the shelter on April 1, we want to express our deep appreciation to all who have made the shelters’ operation so smooth, and in doing so, have made a positive impact on the lives of our guests.
