City Mission seeing uptick for shelter

Every night from October to April, chairs inside the Washington City Mission’s chapel are replaced with 25 mattresses – sometimes more and sometimes less. The worship room transforms into a shelter from the frigid cold and a makeshift home for those who need it most.
The City Mission, which provides the only overnight shelter for the homeless in Washington County, has seen an uptick in the number of people taking advantage of its services this winter. All 25 mattresses, which are offered in addition to more permanent beds for residents, have been filled lately, according to Wendy Barbeau, director of programs.
“We have just been very busy in our cold weather shelter for several weeks now,” Barbeau said. “We have been at that capacity at 25 and, some nights, a few over.”
This week has been especially brutal, as temperatures have plummeted into the negative digits. The National Weather Service is predicting a high chance of snow showers between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. today and chances of snow Thursday and Saturday. Meteorologists also predict that temperatures won’t break 17 degrees until Saturday.
Barbeau said some may not realize that many men and women in the Washington area sleep outdoors, even in freezing weather.
“It’s not a population that’s as visible as it is in larger cities, but there is still a population that lives on the street,” Barbeau said. “We do see an influx of those men when it’s this cold.”
The City Mission can accommodate 25 men in its winter weather shelter, and it has an additional two beds available for women in a separate area. When necessary, the mission makes referrals and provides transportation to other shelters.
Those who are fortunate enough to have a roof over their heads may still be struggling in other ways, though. Dollar Energy Fund, a nonprofit organization based in Western Pennsylvania, provides financial assistance to low-income families that cannot pay their electric or heating bills.
Jody Robertson, director of communications for Dollar Energy, said the program has provided assistance to 92 families in Washington County since October. It is currently accepting applications for utility assistance, and provides funds on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Robertson said the region has a “pretty high concentration” of low-income families who may be eligible for assistance if they have missed several payments and were notified that their utilities would be turned off. For that reason, the organization typically sees an application peak in April.
Washington County also has about a dozen “warming centers” that are open to senior citizens who are 60 years of age or older, or who have a spouse who is 60 or older. None is listed in Greene County, according to the emergency services center.
Kathy Costantino, supervisor for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Area Agency on Aging, said the warming centers typically aren’t used as frequently as cooling centers in the summer. But she said they have received calls from senior citizens who needed a warm place to stay because they were low on oil or could not afford furnace repairs.
“They also are able to partake in a warm congregate meal at lunchtime,” Constantino said of the warming centers.
Senior citizens who have questions or concerns can call the agency at 1-800-734-9603.