With temperatures falling — and homelessness a hot topic across the region, including in Lansdale — the town’s Code Blue shelter organizers are getting ready.
Three training sessions have been scheduled for later this month, to mark the start of the winter season.
“As we were looking at the weather forecast for the next couple weeks, there was a night that the forecasted temperature is falling into the 40s. So, it is time to get ready for the upcoming 2023-2024 Code Blue season,” said organizer Mark Lanan.
Each year for over a decade, volunteers have hosted a shelter at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lansdale, 1000 W. Main St, for anyone who needs a place to stay when temperatures drop dangerously cold.
After spending the winter of 2020-21 elsewhere due to COVID-19, the shelter returned to Trinity in 2021-22 and staffed a total of 1,635 hours, according to Lanan; for the 2022-23 winter, after a permanent homeless shelter in Norristown was closed in 2022, the Lansdale Code Blue shelter was open for a total of 48 nights, and welcomed 53 different guests, with an average of 11 guests per evening the shelter was open, the organizers told council after the season ended.
In July borough Mayor Garry Herbert said he and town staff had begun talks with county officials on how to meet the needs of those who need shelter in Lansdale, and police have reported on those ongoing talks, and their considerations in doing so, in council committee meetings in September and October.
In a series of messages to volunteers this week, Lanan gave details about the upcoming shelter season: Trinity will once again host, with three training sessions now scheduled, at 6 p.m. on Oct. 25, at 9 a.m. on Oct. 28 and at 3 p.m. on Oct. 29.
“After the Saturday training session we will be setting up the shelter and sorting through the donations. We can use as much help as possible,” he said.
Items that can be donated for those in need include wool socks, fleece hats, long johns, gloves, hand warmers, wool blend scarves, coats, ponchos, umbrellas, and prepackaged food: “Anything that can be placed in a backpack, such as energy bars, individual packs of crackers, juice boxes,” Lanan said.
Donations can also be made in the form of gift cards to Sudz, the laundromat just a few blocks away on Main Street — “The men need to do their laundry, and while they do it, they are warm,” he said. A full list of needed items, with details about what’s best to give, is posted on the shelter’s Facebook page.
For those looking to help out at the shelter, some minor changes: background checks must be updated, and COVID-19 vaccination shots are encouraged but not required. The shelter does not allow smoking or vaping on the church campus, and all personal belongings of the guests will be stored overnight.
Shift times have also changed from prior years: volunteers can help with the intake shift from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., a first overnight shift from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m., a second overnight shift from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m., and/or the breakfast shift from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m.
Anyone interested in assisting can contact [email protected] or follow “Code Blue Shelter – Lansdale, PA” on Facebook for more information.
This article appears courtesy of a content share agreement between North Penn Now and The Reporter. To read more stories like this, visit www.thereporteronline.com.
See also:
Lansdale Police Continue Discussions on Addressing Homelessness with Eyes on Federal Court Case
Lansdale’s Mental Health Co-Responder Program Continuing to Draw Attention
Towamencin Turnpike Slip Ramp to Reopen Saturday
North Penn Rotary Club Proposing New Lansdale Downtown Kiosk
Lansdale Introduces New Library Director
