The Bowery Mission Sheltering Hundreds During Cold Snap; No One Turned Away
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With the so-called polar vortex enveloping the city, the Bowery Mission is doing its part to keep the homeless warm. The historic faith-based charity at 227 Bowery is sheltering hundreds of those without, turning away no one. According to a report in the Christian Post, staff members prowl the streets nightly to ensure nobody is spending the night on the streets.
They’re packing ’em in there…
“Our primary concern at The Bowery Mission during weather like this is that people are not on the streets exposed and getting sick. This is certainly life-threatening weather, so we are taking it very seriously. Last night we had 179 people stay at our first floor, at our chapel and our dining hall,” said James Winans, chief development officer at The Bowery.
“We’ve been talking that if the numbers go up from where we are today, about 180, we’ve begun thinking about other areas of our building that we can open up for emergency shelter. We don’t want to turn anyone away. We’d rather find another space in our building for people rather than begin to turn people away,” he said.
This is certainly a feat, given that the premises ordinarily boasts capacity for eighty men in its dormitory.
Temperatures will remain well below freezing again today, and it will be more of the same at the Bowery Mission – meals, hot beverages, and film screenings.
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