People get warm inside Downtown Daily Bread, during day shelter hours.
Chris Kaiser laid on a cot in Downtown Daily Bread mid-morning on Tuesday, while outside the temperature hovered around 30 degrees.
That was mild compared to the even colder weather that has gripped Harrisburg so far this year.
Kaiser has spent many of his days and most nights this winter escaping the cold at the downtown Harrisburg shelter.
For about 10 years, off and on, he has had to make this decision come winter—stay outside and bundle up, or seek shelter. In his younger years, he would sometimes choose the cold, being influenced negatively by those in his social circle. He got in trouble a lot, he said. But now he’s pushing 50 and suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
“It’s pretty rough out there,” he said. “As you get older, it takes a toll on your body.”
Every night, from November through March, no more than 40 men file into Downtown Daily Bread’s winter overnight shelter to claim a cot.
Some are chronically homeless. Others are temporarily seeking shelter, and some are transient, just passing through the city and in need of a place to stay. All are hoping to secure a spot inside, where there is heat.
Darrel Reinford, executive director of Christian Churches United of the Tri-County Area, has seen a greater demand for winter shelter across the city. CCU provides shelter to men, women and non-binary individuals, and, during this cold season, all of their facilities have reached capacity. The organization has also been sheltering people in nearby hotels.
Last year, winter shelters had space to spare, he said. Not this year.
It’s hard for him to pinpoint exactly why shelters are seeing this demand, but he cited an expired federal eviction moratorium and a lack of affordable housing as possible contributors.
The executive director of Downtown Daily Bread, Anne Guenin, has seen a small rise in people seeking shelter at their building this winter. They are usually at capacity, sometimes even forced to turn people away.
In addition to the winter overnight shelter, they hold a year-round day shelter for men and women from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. (12 p.m. on the weekend). On average, 65 to 75 people will come in during the day to get warm, rest or utilize the center’s services, she said. They also provide breakfast and lunch programs.
Often, people line up outside for the overnight shelter, some waiting from 3 p.m., when the day shelter closes, until 7 p.m., when the night shelter opens.
For the first time, Downtown Daily Bread opened its winter shelter in November instead of December this year, to offer people an additional month out of the cold. It was full from the beginning, Guenin said.
But with a full shelter comes challenges. Downtown Daily Bread has experienced staffing shortages and felt the effect of COVID, as many of those who the shelter helps aren’t vaccinated, Guenin said.
“It’s hard being open this long every day,” she said. “It’s a strain on everybody.”
Bethesda Mission also has felt the effects of COVID on its services. According to Executive Director Scott Dunwoody, each time the men’s shelter, which provides longer-term housing, has a COVID outbreak, they lock down. While Bethesda used to also provide emergency shelter to men during extreme weather nights, that program has become another casualty of COVID, as they have paused it as a safety precaution.
This has left even fewer options for those in need of winter shelter.
Guenin said that Downtown Daily Bread tries to make it easy for people to use their services by allowing them to bring in personal belongings. This can often be a barrier that may deter someone from entering other shelters. They provide lockers for people in need of a space to keep their things, run a mail service and offer showers.
But still, coming to the shelter isn’t for everyone.
Some people with large tent set-ups and makeshift homes don’t want to leave their belongings unsupervised outside. Others may not want to part with their significant other for the night, Guenin said. Many have mental illnesses and choose to remain outside.
To help people living on the streets,, Downtown Daily Bread conducts outreach, bringing warm clothing, tarps, sleeping bags and water, among other items, to them.
Guenin heard recently about a man who was sleeping along the Susquehanna riverfront and went to the hospital twice this month for hypothermia.
“I walk my dog with gloves on, and my fingertips are freezing,” Guenin said. “I cannot imagine what they go through. I don’t know how they do it.”
For those who decide to come inside, they’ll not only be greeted with warmth, but with staff willing to help them.
Kaiser has been working with the counselors at Downtown Daily Bread. He’s not sure how long it’ll take to “straighten things out” in his life, but he’s hopeful.
In the meantime, the organization will be there for him, with the heat on.
“We are open, and we are here,” Guenin said.
To learn more about Downtown Daily Bread, visit their website. For more information on Christian Churches United of the Tri-County Area, visit their website. To learn more about Bethesda Mission, visit their website.
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