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Overnight warming shelter full; council and volunteers call for more help
Summary
Barre City officials and volunteers say the overnight warming shelter (capacity 12) has been operating at near‑capacity and praised volunteer efforts; staff urged residents to sign up to assist and to use Regroup for alerts.
The Barre City Council heard that the city's emergency overnight shelter has been filling quickly as temperatures drop, and officials called for more volunteers to staff shifts and help with meals.
"The emergency shelter was open last night, and it was full," said Bernadette (resident/volunteer), noting the shelter’s reliance on local volunteers and asking people to contact Tess Taylor through the city website. City Manager Nicholas told the council the shelter has a capacity of 12 individuals and that on the two nights it has been open the nightly census reached 10. He praised Tess and volunteers for staffing and preparing meals and urged residents who can to donate socks, hand warmers and time.
Councilors and presenters stressed that the shelter is volunteer‑run for overnight shifts and that the city’s main contribution at the moment is staff time and coordination rather than ongoing direct payments. The council encouraged residents who receive Regroup alerts to share information with people who might need shelter, and several members thanked volunteer groups and partner congregations for providing space and services.
City staff said the warming shelter complements daytime services funded separately and that the city will continue outreach to link shelter users with service providers where appropriate.
