With cold temperatures and snow settling in, Good Samaritan Haven is expanding their emergency shelter and street outreach services to help house and care for some of the most vulnerable in our community.
On November 13, a portion of the former Elks Club building, set on the outskirts of town on Country Club Road, will open and operate as a winter overnight shelter. The shelter will accommodate up to 15 individuals a night. The folks to be served by the shelter would otherwise be sleeping outside on the streets or in encampments.
Good Sam is leasing the space at the Elks Club building from the City of Montpelier. Funding for the project is being provided by the Vermont Department of Children and Families. As part of its lease agreement with the city, Good Sam has developed a Public Safety Plan with the Police, Fire, and Ambulance Departments.
Guests at the winter shelter will be provided with transportation to and from downtown Montpelier each morning and evening. Another Way Drop-in Center and the Montpelier Interfaith Meal Group are both playing an essential role by ensuring that shelter guests have an opportunity to have a hot meal each day.
Even with the winter shelter open, there will still be unhoused individuals in need of help and searching for shelter, so Good Sam is expanding its Street Outreach Team staff from two to four to ensure that unsheltered people have what they need to survive. This means assisting unsheltered folks by getting them to whatever shelter options are available. During winter months, Good Sam routinely pays for motel rooms or transportation to shelters in other regions of the state. In the event shelter is not available, or someone chooses to stay outside, Good Sam’s Street Outreach Team will help the unsheltered stay as safe as possible by providing them with tents, tarps, warm clothing, food, water, and other critical supplies and services.