Bucks County Code Blue seeks more houses of worship, volunteers to aid homeless shelter program

With winter fast approaching, the Advocates for the Homeless and Those in Need are seeking houses of worship in Lower Bucks County for help with a lifesaving mission: To shelter the homeless on Code Blue nights when temperatures drop to 26 degrees or colder.

Two churches, Woodside Church in Lower Makefield and Calvary Baptist Church in Bristol have long provided this service, but two more sites are also needed. Each would offer shelter on Code Blue nights for a month from Dec. 1 to March 31.

Volunteers are also needed.

On Code Blue nights, the sheltering locations need 18 volunteers to serve as bus drivers and assistants or to cook meals, set up cots, and host guests. The overnight shifts run from 10:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. and from 2:30 a.m. until 7 a.m.

“It moves our faith from just words to action,” said Pastor Doug Hoglund of the Woodside Church. “Code Blue turns our eyes away from ourselves and toward others. At times it is challenging but the blessings far outweigh the sacrifices.”

Woodside has been providing shelter since AHTN first started the program in 2009. But before COVID there were four participating houses of worship. Now there are just two sharing two months each.

Last year, AHTN opened 52 nights with the total number of guests served at 159, with an average of 27 per night, said volunteer Carol Carter.

“The Code Blue team does an excellent job of breaking down this large mission into manageable roles but this does mean we need many hands and hearts to open the shelter on frigid nights,” said Hoglund.

Pastor Dan Young of Calvary Baptist said that Calvary had a learning curve in helping the homeless.

“We needed a ‘faith stretcher,’ to challenge our people. Several in the congregation rose quite well to the challenge,” he said.

Both pastors said they have benefitted from seeing their congregations involved and by volunteering themselves.

“There have been times when my wife and I served side by side in the 2:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. night shift,” Young said. “We enjoyed living out our faith together. I have also enjoyed watching Calvary people lose their fear of homeless people and develop friendships.”

Karen Mineo, AHTN executive director, said the organization has found that working with religious organizations to shelter the homeless is better than using space in secular buildings because the houses of worship have an aim to help those in need. Volunteers are given training on how to assist the homeless.

But there are people who decline the assistance.

“The number of people new to homelessness has increased but they’re not necessarily coming to the shelters,” Mineo said. “Many are using drugs and alcohol. We try to help them.”

However, people who are actively high or intoxicated, or who want to bring drugs or alcohol with them, are not permitted in the shelters. They will often stay with propane heaters in wooded areas, Mineo said.

More:Code Blue: Bucks County nonprofits prepare to shelter homeless community from cold

The AHTN offers other services to the homeless, and 39 houses of worship are participating in its “Wheels to Meals” program where the homeless are transported to a different church, synagogue or other religious location each night for a hot meal served by volunteers.

For more information on the Code Blue program, contact the AHTN at office@ahtn.org or call 215-380-3868.

In Central Bucks, the Coalition to Shelter and Support the Homeless and in Upper Bucks, the Advocates for the Homeless in Upper Bucks offer similar Code Blue emergency shelter programs.

Several organizations help with housing issues

Bucks County also coordinates with several social service agencies to help families and individuals dealing with housing issues and homelessness.

The Bucks County Emergency Homeless Shelter on Library Way in Levittown is operated by the Family Service Association of Bucks County but it has a waiting list of families who need shelter and provides long-term care for those who are admitted in hope of getting them back to a more stable life.

Other religious and secular social service agencies also offer support to the homeless. They are listed on the county’s Hub website under Emergency Housing and Shelters.

For information on all housing services in Bucks County, visit Bucks County Housing Link at https://www.buckshousinglink.org/ or call 1-800-810-4434.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bucks County Code Blue group seeks more shelter spots for homeless in Lower Bucks