Dedicated volunteers from several area organizations in the community have been working together this winter to serve with the emergency overnight warming shelter in Logan County.
This month, the shelter has been open 23 nights from Jan. 3-26, serving two dozen individuals during that time for a total of 126 overnight stays.
“Thanks to the community effort, we kept Logan County’s otherwise unsheltered citizens safe through this brutal January of 2025,” said Kathy Zeller, Recovery Zone director, noting that the shelter was open 341.5 hours during this period.
“We wanted to provide an update, in case people are wondering about the results of this first time (that we’re aware of) of this type of overnight shelter here in Logan County.
“The hotel funds for emergency stays also were ended a few years ago.”
Monday, Jan. 27, officials also announced that the overnight warming shelter will not be open Wednesday, Jan. 29, or Thursday, Jan. 30, as was originally forecasted, because of warmer temperatures in the region.
The emergency warming shelter, located at the Bellefontaine First Church of God, 1000 E. Brown Ave., has been activated any time the overnight temperatures dips below 20 degrees.
Partners joining together for the warming shelter initiative include volunteers from the Housing Innovations Team, Recovery Zone and the Bellefontaine First Church of God.
Zeller said when the warming shelter is not engaged, survival gear is also available for local individuals, which has been donated through a United Way of Logan County grant and through other donations.
In addition to the support for running the overnight shelter, Zeller also noted the following services that were also provided, “as everyone just stepped up and did what they could to wrap around our unhoused citizens.”
Some of these essential services include: Nightly transports to overnight warming shelter;
morning transports to the Hilliker YMCA from overnight warming at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday; mid-morning transports from YMCA to the library (upon opening) to be closer to resources; volunteers covering daytime warming shelter on two Sundays (26 hours), a Monday holiday (11.5 hours), when no other place was open during brutally cold, single-digit daytime temps.
Beyond the statistics, there are many other immeasurable impacts for those involved in this new program.
“Volunteers shared how meaningful and educational this experience of service was for them. Guests expressed deep gratitude for the opened doors and for the food, snacks and love shared by fellow members of our community,” Zeller said.
“To everyone that helped keep our community members warm, we say thank you.”
On evenings when the emergency shelter is activated, intake is from 7 to 9 p.m. at the church’s youth center entrance, door 9. For more information, call (937) 210-9003.