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Mayor recalls creating Bibb County warming center after winter deaths
Summary
The mayor said community partners and volunteers moved quickly in December 2020 to open a Bibb County warming center after two people died of exposure; speakers credited rapid local organization and named partners including United Way and the Salvation Army.
The mayor of Bibb County said the community opened a warming center in December 2020 after two men died from exposure and that a rapid effort by volunteers and local partners made the operation possible.
“I want to open a warming center. What do you need?” the mayor recalled being asked by Mayor Elect Lester Miller, according to testimony. The mayor said he had blankets and experience but needed a location and staff, and that Miller offered to solve those two problems.
Speakers said the center launched almost overnight. A volunteer described a small meeting where staff and volunteers, including people named Spencer and Steve Bale, began taking in people and “we took off from there just like a rocket.” Organizers credited firefighters, county commissioners, neighborhood volunteers and established service providers for supporting intake, sheltering and follow-up services.
“We immediately began to reach out to partners like United Way, Salvation Army,” one speaker said, listing groups that provided help with staffing, donations and coordination. Testimony said the warming center operated as part of a broader local homeless initiative and a coalition in Bibb County that aimed to move people into permanent housing.
Speakers outlined concrete goals and outcomes they associate with the center: transitioning guests into jobs, securing housing, and ensuring children could continue school without disruption through transportation support. One participant described holding a child at the Brookdale site who “fell asleep in my arms,” saying the child’s temporary safety may have changed that family’s trajectory.
Several speakers emphasized the fragility of household stability and the need for ongoing readiness, saying anyone can face a sudden crisis and communities should not turn away those in need.
No formal vote or county action was recorded in the transcript; the record consists of personal testimony and descriptions of operational partnerships. Organizers and volunteers said the center’s work focused on immediate shelter needs and on helping guests move toward permanent housing.
