Thanks to each of you for your perseverance through and support of this year's cold weather warming shelter. The warming shelter is always a tremendous strain on programs, people and the building. But, the service is critical and many lives are saved because of it. Now that the bell has tolled and the season is over, I'd like to take a moment to look at the results.
Cold weather warming shelter was open 106 nights this season, with the first night being Nov. 13 and with March 15 (morning of the 16) being the final night of the offering. During that period, 701 different people used the warming shelter for a total of 11,116 shelter nights. The youngest person to stay in the shelter was just 23 months old. The oldest person was 80 years old at entry. The least number of nights a person stayed was one; with one person spending 104 total nights on the day center floor. The nightly average was 105 (even on the warm nights, there was a tremendous need) and each person who used the shelter stayed an average of 16 nights.
For each person who stayed warm in the building and for each life saved from the elements, I say thank you - each of you had a tremendous part in the offering of this critical service and for that, I am most certainly grateful.
Jens Christiansen