Life Hub Plans for Winter Shelter in Downtown Wheeling
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WHEELING -- With the autumn season upon the Ohio Valley, officials with The Life Hub in Wheeling are working to make sure an emergency winter shelter will be available to those who will need it in the coming months.
Melissa Adams, homeless liaison for the city of Wheeling, this week said plans are in motion to make sure a winter shelter can open at the site of the new Life Hub headquarters -- the former First Lutheran Church on 16th Street, which was acquired by the organization earlier this year.
The long-term goal for The Life Hub is to establish a low-barrier shelter to help fill a crucial need in the area, where services to assist the local homeless population are offered by a number of agencies, but not all services are open to everyone who is in need. A 24-hour, low-barrier homeless shelter with wraparound services such as medical assistance and other help is expected to serve as a vital lifeline to those who are slipping through the cracks and end up living on the streets.
While work continues to establish the low-barrier shelter at the new Life Hub location, Adams said this past week that a top priority is making sure those without a home are not left out in the bitter cold this winter.
"Our plan is to be able to operate a winter shelter there from Dec. 15 through March 15, for sure," she said.
Adams said Wheeling Police Chief Jim Blazier and Assistant Chief Deric Jamison have performed a walk-through inspection of the church building.
Life Hub officials are awaiting a report from fire officials regarding the capacity the facility will have in terms of its use as a winter shelter.
"They're putting together figures on how many beds will be allowed this year based on the square footage," Adams said. "We are not planning on using the sanctuary. There are quite a few large rooms in the building, and of course, they will be separated by gender."
A winter shelter has been offered in Wheeling for several years, with different local agencies taking the lead on spearheading the effort. For many years, Youth Services System operated the Winter Freeze Shelter. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the location was temporarily moved to a large vacant building on the former Ohio Valley Medical Center campus.
Last year, The Life Hub was able to raise funds through donations and help coordinate the operation of a winter shelter, which was set up in space inside the ballroom at the Bishop Bernard W. Schmitt Catholic Charities Center on Main Street in Center Wheeling.
"We already have the beds," Adams said, noting that the beds that were set up in the ballroom at Catholic Charities last winter will be available for use this year. "All of the money we've received is from foundations and individual donors right now. We're hoping to get $150,000 to pay for the staff and other expenses for the winter shelter. We're working with local foundations that have helped in the past, and we're in talks with them about our needs for this winter."
Adams said she is confident that the Life Hub will be able to raise enough funds to cover operational costs for the winter shelter from the traditional three-month window from mid-December to mid-March. However, if funding allows, she indicated that they would like to be able to expand that window.
"It will be cold before Dec. 15 and after March 15," she said. "We hope we can get some more donations to help us operate for a little longer."
As is the intention with the long-term goals of the low-barrier shelter, a professionally trained staff of service providers is expected to be on hand for those in need at the winter shelter.
"We work in conjunction with other agencies," Adams noted, explaining that the Soup Kitchen of Greater Wheeling has provided shelf-stable food to those needing shelter. For prepared meals, the Soup Kitchen and Catholic Charities locations are just a couple of blocks away between downtown and East Wheeling.
The Life Hub has received donations specifically for its long-term shelter goals, and Adams explained that they do not intend to utilize any of those funds for the operation of this season's winter shelter.
"Anyone wanting to support the winter shelter can do so by reaching out to The Life Hub or to the Wheeling Housing Authority," she said.
Officials in the city of Wheeling are also considering a proposal submitted by Adams for funding to help the Life Hub reach its goal of getting the 16th Street facility up and running year-round. Members of Wheeling City Council this past week discussed the remaining funds in the city's pool of American Rescue Plan Act money, and officials have indicated a desire to award some of the last of the ARPA funds to the Life Hub program.
Otherwise, Adams said there were currently no updates about efforts to bring the Life Hub's long-term plans to fruition.