A first City of Aurora winter emergency warming shelter at Wesley United Methodist Church in Aurora served 174 guests.
Thew Elliott, a shelter volunteer and Wesley music and liturgy director, made the announcement during a May 16 “community conversation” at the church. The event, which recapped the temporary overnight shelter’s operations, was attended by community members and city officials.
The city announced the shelter saying, “In partnership with Wesley United Methodist Church, the City of Aurora is providing this shelter to ensure individuals in need have a safe and warm space during extreme cold weather.” Under a contract with the city, Wesley’s temporary overnight warming center was activated from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. when temperatures were at or below 15°F, or when weather conditions were severe due to a combination of wind chill and precipitation. Initial activation was January 3.
According to Pastor Scott, more than 50 volunteers and staff served 174 guests–a daily average of 27–on 42 nights from Jan. 3 to March 5. Attendance ranged from 8 to 46 guests. Volunteers and staff put in more than 1,050 hours, including serving more than 950 meals.
Each evening, staff provided guests with a cot, snacks and water. Security was also on-site.
Scott reported grants and donations totaled $64,495. City grants led the category with $56,240. Donations included $5,200 from community members; $2,000 from AMA and $1,055 from Wesley.
Expenses totaled $60,077, led by $35,765 for a security contractor.
—Al Benson