The beds are in place, staff has been secured and Tenfold is ready to open its temporary overnight adult shelter Monday evening, organizers said.
Set up in an 11,400 square foot garage behind Tenfold’s offices at 308 E. King St. in Lancaster, the 50-bed shelter will serve as a stopgap until the opening of the permanent 80-bed overnight shelter under construction at Otterbein United Methodist Church at 20 E. Clay St.
The latter site is expected to open toward the end of December, initially at half capacity, or 40 beds, ramping up thereafter.
With temperatures dropping, Tenfold’s shelter is filling an “immediate need,” Deb Jones, director of the office of the Lancaster County Homelessness Coalition, said in a statement commending Tenfold for stepping up.
Like Otterbein, Tenfold’s shelter will be low barrier, without conditions for entry such as having ID or accepting outreach services. While Tenfold has decades of experience with supportive transitional housing at its TLC Shelter on East King Street, this will be its first low-barrier operation, CEO Shelby Nauman said.
Want to help?
- Volunteer opportunities: To volunteer at Tenfold’s emergency shelter, visit the signup page, either directly or through United Way of Lancaster County’s volunteer portal. Training is available for individuals without prior experience.
- Donations: To make a financial donation, click here. For individuals interested in donating supplies, Tenfold is planning to post a list of needed items on its Facebook page soon. The nonprofit is encouraging people NOT to donate food. The shelter will have water, hot beverages such as coffee and pre-wrapped snacks, but will not be offering meals.
As of mid-morning Monday, preparations were about two-thirds complete, estimated Jennifer Gehman, Tenfold’s director of supportive housing programs. The Lancaster County Homelessness Coalition has been assisting with procuring supplies, staffing and other logistics issues.
During One United Lancaster’s visit, a pickup truck arrived with trestle tables, which Nauman, Gehman and two colleagues unloaded and set up.
The shelter will be open from 7:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. seven days a week. Tenfold has hired a security firm with experience in shelter operations. (Nauman declined to say which one.) It will have personnel on site at all times the shelter is open, and will conduct security screenings of everyone upon entry, including a metal detector and “wanding” belongings.
Additional staffing will be a mix of paid and volunteer workers. There are two shifts: 7 to 10 p.m. and 6 to 8 a.m. The evening shift will involve helping clients get situated and settle in for the night, while the morning shift will primarily involve stripping beds and preparing for the next night. Nauman summarized the two shifts as “hospitality” and “cleaning crew,” respectively.
Tenfold has reached out to other nonprofits, such as Water Street Mission and Lancaster County Food Hub, whose staff have experience with the homeless population.
Outreach workers and street medicine programs will be invited to engage with clients at the shelter. Tenfold’s own street outreach workers, Milan Koneff and Tom Tuten, will do so as well.
City Council is holding a special meeting Monday evening to consider ratifying the declaration of a housing and homelessness state of emergency issued Friday by Mayor Danene Sorace. Assuming it does so, the declaration would authorize Tenfold’s shelter through Jan. 31.
The actual closing date will depend on how quickly the Otterbein shelter can reach full capacity, Nauman said. Tenfold has been in contact with YMCA of the Roses, the organization that will operate the Otterbein site. The hope is that YMCA staff can work with Tenfold and get to know the shelter clients early, to make the eventual transition as smooth as possible.
YMCA is encouraged by the support of Tenfold and other community organizations “as we engage this challenging and impactful service,” YMCA President Larry Richardson said.
The state of emergency declaration exempts Tenfold from what could otherwise be a lengthy city review and approval process. Instead, the city expedited its review, with codes officials giving the garage a through going-over last week, Nauman said.
The site is considered suitable in part because it has sprinklers, a fire safety requirement for congregate shelters under the city’s safety codes. Inspection staff required Tenfold to install smoke alarms as well, and to wall off an old electrical panel in one corner.
The shelter will cost an estimated $2,500 a week to operate, or $200,000 through Jan. 31. As of Monday, commitments for most of the funding had been secured: Nauman said Tenfold was in the process of finalizing one more “anchor gift” that would complete the budget.
United Way of Lancaster County is providing $40,000. The money comes from Project SOS, the organizations pandemic-era initiative to help households overcome short-term financial emergencies.
“We are grateful to Tenfold for stepping up to meet the critical needs of our neighbors by both offering their space and by pulling together a coalition of supporters, and are happy to activate our donor dollars to support their work,” United Way President Kate Zimmerman said.
The Homelessness Coalition is providing money raised jointly earlier this year by the city of Lancaster and the Lancaster County Community Foundation. Other funders will be disclosed once fundraising is complete, Nauman said.
