Modesto Gospel Mission opens warming center for men to escape nighttime cold
Homeless men no longer have to sleep outside in the cold.
The Modesto Gospel Mission has opened its dining room as an overnight warming center through January and may extend the program based on the weather, mission Executive Director Jason Conway said Wednesday.
The mission has been opening its dining room when the temperature drops below 40 degrees or if it’s raining, but Conway said opening it seven days a week is easier on his staff and more compassionate for homeless men.
The mission has been opening its chapel at nighttime for women and women with children to sleep for about six months. The chapel had been open to men and women for several years before that.
Conway said in a previous story the mission decided to limit the chapel to women and women with children because “this is our biggest need, and they are the most vulnerable.”
This comes as Gospel Mission’s and The Salvation Army’s emergency shelters are running at near capacity. The two organizations have about 475 emergency beds between them.
Conway said the dining room can serve 45 people as a warming center. He said the men who spend the night can stay in the morning for breakfast and can use the mission’s day center. They will work with a peer navigator at the center on improving their lives and they can also play board games, charge their cell phones and use the computer lab.
Salvation Army Maj. Darren Stratton said the city has asked the army about opening its Berberian Center dining room as a warming center for men and women. Stratton said in a text message Wednesday the army is open to discussing that but would need funding to pay for staff to oversee the warming center.
The Salvation Army also operates a day center for homeless people.
These developments come as college area resident and homeless advocate Derek Castle asked the City Council at recent meetings for Modesto to open nighttime warming centers this winter.
Castle has been among more than a half dozen residents who have consistently asked council members to do more for Modesto’s homeless residents. He said in a Wednesday interview that not all homeless men will use the warming center but at least it gives them a choice.
Castle said that helping homeless people helps the community. He said parks were never intended to be used as day centers and campgrounds, which deprives families and others from using them for their intended purposes. And homeless people are vulnerable to the weather and from being victimized when they live in parks, he said.
This story was originally published December 6, 2023 at 12:32 PM.
