CHC/SEK-Wesley House emergency winter shelter comes to a close 

March 21 marks the end of the CHC/SEK/ Wesley House Emergency Overnight Winter Shelter that proved life-saving for some in the local homeless community.  

CHC/SEK began the day-to-day management of services at Wesley House on Nov. 1, and shortly after, forecasters warned of extreme winter temperatures. Realizing no winter overnight accommodations were available to the homeless community in Pittsburg, Community Health Workers at Wesley House worked quickly to organize a 90-day overnight shelter just as freezing temperatures rolled in.   

Because the shelter was an unanticipated expense, a donation drive was created for both cold weather and shelter supplies; and for funds to hire additional employees to work through the nights.  

Community members generously donated sleeping bags, with one local couple cleaning out the aisles of a local store before moving on to Missouri in search of more. Other individuals, households, businesses, organizations and churches donated clothing, food supplies and cash, including the Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas which provided a match grant. To date, the project has received almost $36,000 raised. More than $4,000 worth of miscellaneous supplies and support was donated.   

Because of everyone’s support, there was no loss of life due to cold weather conditions. Sixty individual guests sought shelter and were able to stay warm through the arctic blast and following nights. During a recent update meeting, a homeless community member rose to express his gratitude for the emergency shelter at Wesley House, saying, “I personally want to thank you because you saved my life.”   

Leah Gagnon, CHC/SEK director of Patient Engagement and Wesley House praised the community and local agency responses to the crisis. “Getting people out of the cold and fed is just the first steps for moving someone forward out of homelessness,” Leah said. “You can’t really think, or plan or even dream of a different life when your entire focus is on just surviving another night.”  

CHC/SEK’s Wesley House team has seen other successes. The renewed collaboration and partnerships with existing social agencies helped 27 individuals exit from homelessness, with 11 from that group obtaining permanent housing with others moving to transitional facilities. A particularly heartfelt victory included a 25-year homeless guest who was able to be reconnected with her family. Additionally, several other homeless guests are now on a list for apartments.   

“We couldn’t do this without the current success of our housing partners and the strength and continuity of care,” Leah said. “That’s both the City Housing Authority and Catholic Charities. These partnerships highlight and emphasize the strength of what currently exists in this region. It’s a huge thing to celebrate.” 

CHC/SEK Wesley House staff have also discovered that many shelter guests face chronic homelessness, meaning they’ve been homeless for one year or more. Many of them have also grown up in Pittsburg. 

Leah believes creating the emergency shelter was the first step to a broader community conversation around homelessness. She and her team will soon be attending a housing conference in Springfield, MO, to learn about how Eden Village, a national model addressing homelessness by building tiny home communities for the chronically homeless and disabled. 

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