MASH Village prepares to open winter homeless shelter

Kris Hill

Thursday, Dec. 14, 2000 | 10:31 a.m.

Another 250 beds for single homeless men will become available when MASH Village opens its temporary emergency shelter on Friday.

The shelter will open its doors at 4 p.m., but staff members expect men to be lining up early that morning to get a spot in the tent, Bridget Bycina, director of residential and health services, said.

Once homeless men have claimed a bed, they may keep it for the season, as long as they return each night by 8 p.m.

After all the beds are claimed Friday, would-be residents will be turned away, Bycina said. But they can return later to see if a bed is forfeited.

"In reality, there are only some 2,000 beds for a homeless population of more than 7,000," Hannah Johnston, events coordinator for MASH Village, said.

Now in its third year, the shelter has stayed open for up to four months in the past, but this year the organization can afford to keep it open only until March 15, Bycina said.

Bycina has spent the past two months getting the shelter ready for Friday, including raising money and gathering basic supplies.

Throughout the three-month period in which the tent will house the men, Bycina will need continuous donations of blankets, as well as organizations or service groups to bring prepared food to serve.

"We don't have kitchen facilities right now," Bycina said. If enough money comes in to keep the shelter open an additional month, the next goal is to raise money to build a kitchen.

Men staying in the shelter can begin checking in each afternoon at 4. They will not be allowed to stay in the shelter during the day.

The National Guard put together 250 hygiene packs for the men, which will be gone the first night, Bycina said.

Staying in the shelter will mean more than a warm bed at night. Local companies will be recruiting at the shelter from 5 to 9 p.m. every other Thursday, and the village's medical clinic will be open specifically for the men, Bycina said.

Those staying in the shelter also will be surveyed by MASH Village staff hoping to better understand the needs of the homeless.

"It will help us serve them better in the future," Johnston said.