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Time Out Shelter appeals to Payson council for continued local support as food and bed‑night demand grows
Summary
Time Out Shelter board president Laurie Martinez briefed the council on services, scope and local partnerships, saying the nonprofit provides emergency shelter, a 24/7 hotline, a thrift store that funds operations and substantial food distribution; the board asked the council to consider ongoing partnership and support.
Laurie Martinez, board president of the Time Out Shelter, presented to the Payson Common Council on Aug. 13, describing the nonprofit’s shelter, food and community services and asking the town for continued advocacy and support.
Martinez said Time Out Shelter has operated in the Rim Country for nearly 32 years as a not‑for‑profit that serves victims of domestic violence, people experiencing homelessness and food‑insecure households across a wide geographic area. She told the council the shelter has taken 16,816 people through its doors since 1993 and reported, for fiscal year 2023–24, more than 5,000 bed nights and a total food donation tally of 524,851 pounds. The agency also maintains a thrift store whose proceeds, Martinez said, remain in the community and fund shelter operations.
Martinez said the shelter is the only domestic‑violence shelter within roughly a 100‑mile radius and described a 24/7 hotline and partnerships with local grocers, Walmart, Safeway and others. She asked the council, the town manager and staff to prioritize a continuing collaboration across law enforcement, social services and local businesses to sustain the shelter’s work and to consider financial and advocacy support as the organization confronts building‑maintenance needs in aging facilities.
Council members and meeting attendees praised the shelter’s community events, including a lantern vigil and the thrift store, and acknowledged the shelter’s role in food distribution and emergency housing. The council did not vote on funding at the meeting; Martinez said the board and executive director Michael Patch will continue conversations with town staff and council members about possible next steps.
What’s next: Martinez asked the town to consider routine communication and partnership to help the shelter stabilize operations and flagged an immediate need for help identifying maintenance funding for buildings more than 50 years old.
Note: All shelter statistics and program claims above are those presented by the Time Out Shelter at the meeting.
