CAP’s emergency shelter offering more than break from cold | Social Services


CAP's emergency shelter offering more than break from cold | Social Services

Community Action Partnership’s emergency shelter aims to be more than just a place for homeless individuals to get out of the cold. Staff there also are working to help those visiting move their lives forward.

Rachael Bittiker, public affairs and community development director at CAP oversees the shelter, and she said services are set to expand in the coming months. Currently the emergency shelter, located at 629 S. Eighth St., has the capacity for 10 more individuals before they’d have to seek additional space.

“Of course we separate men and women, so there’s two different areas right now,” Bittiker said. “We could do five more men and five more women (before) total capacity.”

Max capacity is currently lower than the shelter’s original 60-plus beds. That’s because of safety precautions brought on by COVID-19.

“We do have a quarantine room,” Bittiker said. “It’s got a bathroom, and it’s got a shower to where they’re there for 10 days or 14 days, depending on what the health department tells us.”

CAP is working on getting COVID-19 vaccinations for people using the shelter.

“We’ve already reached out to the health department to see about setting up a clinic, a vaccine clinic here at the shelter,” Bittiker said.

Setting up the clinic would allow individuals living outdoors to still get a vaccine.

CAP also is receiving a $250,000 grant to help keep the shelter open for an additional six months. Some of that money will be used to pay rent and utility bills for individuals who lost their job due to the pandemic.

And the shelter will be implementing a new program soon.

“Feb. 1, we’re going to start doing mandatory life-skills classes for those that are staying in the shelter to kind of work on basic skills, time management, budgeting, job searching, to get them to want to be in their own house and help them get to that place,” Bittiker said.

The shelter also is taking drop off donations. Hygiene products and microwavable, non-perishable items are welcome.




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