Central & Safe Harbor Series:

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Part One – The History

Before Safe Harbor formally incorporated as a non-profit and raised funds to establish a central building, the organization began as a coalition of area churches operating a rotating shelter, opening their doors from week to week to provide individuals experiencing homelessness a place to escape the harsh winter weather.

Central United Methodist Church graciously acted as a bedrock among this network, joining the most active congregations in efforts to ensure safety for our communities’ most vulnerable. During CUMC’s designated weeks, meals were served every evening in the fellowship hall and after the food service, the space was converted into the men’s sleeping quarters. The women’s area was established in the chapel. Afterwards volunteers would stack up mattresses and clean to prepare the church spaces for the congregation’s daily activities. At the end of CUMC’s designated weeks, cots would get packed up and sent off to the next host church.

After a decade, it became clear that guests would be better served by a single, dedicated shelter. This eliminated the need to move between locations and allowed for more consistent care. A coalition of stakeholders formally incorporated Safe Harbor as a nonprofit, secured the property on Wellington, and raised funds to renovate it for use as a shelter. The current shelter at 517 Wellington is the result and has been in operation since the winter of 2017. 

However, moving to a single location in no way diminished the integral part that support churches and their volunteers play in the operation of the shelter and its spirit. The generous congregants of Central United Methodist Church continue to uphold its legacy of deep support for the services offered by Safe Harbor through its commitment of dedicated volunteers and funding. CUMC is one of only several churches that sponsors not one but two weeks of volunteering at the shelter where most churches cover only one.

This summer is the second year of a two year trial to run the shelter year-round.  Again, a call has been made to supportive churches to help cover the volunteer needs during the summer. Central has been asked to cover five days in August to ensure those in need of a hot meal and shower have a place to go during the blistering heat. Join us as we answer the call to uphold Central’s longstanding tradition as a pillar of the shelter’s support network.

Look for Part Two next week and details on volunteer sign-up starting at the worship services on July 26.