One of the major providers of emergency housing for the homeless in Rochester said on Monday that it is facing an unprecedented demand for services headed into the winter season.
The Executive Director of the Open Door Mission, Anna Valeria said the facilities operated by the Mission have been operating at double their bed capacity throughout this year.
Valeria said there are a variety of factors behind the need for more space for people who don’t have a regular place to live.
“We’re an emergency shelter, we’re not a clinical provider, so there’s definitely been calls recently for folks to be more intentional about serving folks battling addiction and mental illness and for chronic behavioral issues,” said Valeria. “So we need help from the clinical providers, from the court system, from the jail system, frankly, to be able to get things under control.”
Valeria said the number of people needing services just keeps growing.
“The numbers in our shelters have been the highest we have ever seen. This includes the numbers for men, women and families,” Valeria said. “Last year, through the generosity of this community, we were able to repurpose existing space at our 156 North Plymouth location and opened a separate facility for women in our shelter.”
The Open Door Mission is also seeking donations of warm winter clothing as the weather turns colder. That includes a request for weather resisting clothing, as well as coats, hats, gloves, boots socks and underwear.
