As the temperatures get colder, warming centers in New Hampshire’s cities and towns are preparing for extra guests.
Jane Goodman, leader of the Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter, says they’ve seen higher attendance in running their state-funded small scale warming center. They opened on Dec. 1 and already they’ve reached near capacity on some nights.
“I believe we had 28 people last night,” said Goodman. “The most we can take is probably 30, and that's pushing the limits of our capacity.”
This is the second year in a row the warming center has been in operation. Goodman said it’s designed to serve clients who may not want to take long-term stays at larger shelters.
Stigma, capacity limits and other circumstances can all have an impact on why people may not wish to make long-term stays at shelters, she said.
“We try to reduce the stigma as much as possible, but we can't get everyone who needs it to come in,” Goodman said. “We’re also very full, which is another issue.”
In addition to a warming center, the Nashua Soup Kitchen provides emergency family shelter, beds for individuals, and a pantry.
Warming centers may cover needs for overnight shelters but there’s still day time concerns that need to be addressed.
As the weather gets colder and as shelters can stay full, Goodman recommends people continue to donate winter coats and warm gear to assist those in need.
“What worries me the most is that we're gonna run out of room and it's just getting colder and we're not gonna be able to house everybody,” Goodman said. “So point people towards services. We do have hot meals, we do have hot drinks during the day. We're doing our best and we hope that other people in the community will pitch in as well.”
