While the holidays bring out extra generosity from the community in the form of gifts for kids and other items – it also poses some real practical problems, like agencies and businesses and other programs being closed. Today is the day when it seems that many of the programs are announcing when they are closed . . . a bad time of the year to be homeless. Last night at the shelter there was no cold weather exception for the men – it wasn’t cold enough and freezing rain wasn’t enough, even when a county board supervisor requested it. There are no special plans system-wide for the bad weather coming up or the holidays.
I’m at Bubbles his morning, helping with the laundry program and I have talked to 43 homeless persons this morning . . . this information is not well known, and people usually don’t plan ahead, its usually hard enough just getting through the day. It’s always very frustrating trying to find out this kind of information. Luckily, word of mouth spreads fast, but the information people have isn’t always correct, so that is also frustrating. A lot of times, people just give up and stop trying to figure it all out. Who can blame them.
PUBLIC LIBRARY
One of the stop gap measures for the homeless to stay warm this winter. They are closed the following days:
Sunday 12/22
Tuesday 12/24
Wednesday 12/25
Sunday 12/29
Tuesday 12/31
Wednesday 1/1
Monday 1/20
BETHEL CHURCH
Homeless Services – the warming center and computer lab.
Tuesday, 12/24 – Closed at noon
Wednesday, 12/25 – Closed
Tuesday, 12/31 – Closed at noon
(Also closed Saturdays and Sundays throughout the winter)
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
First United Methodist Church – Outreach Ministries Break in Services
Outreach programming will be closed beginning Tuesday, December 23 and will re-open Monday, January 6. The following is a list of our on-site outreach programming closed during this time frame:
– Community Outreach Breakfast – A hearty breakfast served 9:00 – 9:30 a.m. Monday & Wednesday
– Come As You Are Worship – An informal, supportive worship held in our fellowship hall Monday & Wednesday 9:30 – 10:00 a.m.
– To-Go Meals Serving Our Homeless – Sandwich & snacks available for pick-up Monday thru Thursday 9:00 a.m. – Noon.
– Food Pantry – Our food pantry serves households in Dane County Monday & Wednesday 10:00 a.m. – Noon and Tuesday & Thursday 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
MONONA TERRACE
Closed for renovation Dec 24 – January 26.
These seem to be the options people have:
STATE CAPITOL
They say they are open . . . even on the holidays, lets hope so. Of course, there are complications with that as well . . . wonder if they would need a permit if 100 homeless people suddenly showed up?
LUKE HOUSE
Planning on serving lunch and dinner Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, still confirming on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
I’m sure there are a bunch of holiday meals going on throughout the community, 2-1-1 doesn’t update those one time events, so its up to people to hunt for the information.
