The Next Step-Joplin seeks volunteers for warming center
Jan. 5—As the weather turns colder, a Joplin organization is putting out a call for volunteers to help keep its overnight warming shelter open.
The Next Step-Joplin is about a year old, and Ricardo Field, board member, describes the organization as a multifaceted approach to helping the unsheltered in Joplin.
It has a program that helps people obtain photo identification, which is vital in getting jobs and shelter. There's also a food program with a weekly meal and limited pantry services. The group also hosts a warming shelter, which started as a grassroots effort to bring people out of the cold and protect them from the elements.
"A couple of years ago, we held what we called movie nights," Field said. "It was basically to keep people from freezing to death."
Shelter is a basic need for people, Field said. The Next Step-Joplin is trying to elevate people in life and shelter is one of the first steps to doing that.
Last year, The Next Step-Joplin partnered with Souls Harbor for an overnight warming center. Now, they staff the overflow at the shelter's chapel on nights when the temperature falls below 32 degrees.
The overnight center opens at 7:30 p.m. and closes at 7:00 a.m. It fills a need with several day shelters in the community, Field said. It's open to anyone who needs a place to be out of the cold nights. Volunteers pass out blankets and people sleep on the chapel's pews.
"Most people are there to rest or sleep," Field said. "Some people might read or that type of thing."
There are some restrictions, like no pets, a breathalyzer test and people have to leave their belongings outside the chapel in a check-in area.
Occupancy at the warming shelter has ranged from five to 20 people each night.
Field said some of the people who stay at the warming center are not allowed at other shelters. These are people who likely have had an altercation or have difficulty with rules. This can be a shelter of last resort for people who aren't welcome elsewhere.
Field said that there are occasionally problems, but for the most part things work smoothly at the center.
"A lot of times, people who struggle with alcohol or substance abuse issues aren't allowed to be at other shelters," Fields said. "But we don't have a lot of problems with our people because we forge one-on-one relationships with them. That helps a lot."
Fields said the building of a relationship comes when people look at center occupants as people, as human beings.
"When you get in there one on one, you learn they're people, too," Fields said. "They've just fallen on hard times. Who knows why they're in the situation they're in? The fact of the matter is that they're human and they deserve to be warm."
Volunteers make the warming center operate, and they need more to help, Fields said. The Next Step is looking to add to its volunteer roster to continue to serve the community.
"There's been dangers of cold nights when we might not have volunteers, they are vital," Fields said. "We're putting out this call because we need people during these winter months at night."
There are two different shifts for volunteers at the warming center. The first is for check in at 7:30 p.m., and second is an overnight shift from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
"We really need volunteers for that shift," Fields said. "Maybe we can find some empathetic night owls."
Currently, The Next Step has about 10 overnight volunteers. Ideally they would have a male and female volunteer for each shift, as the safety of their volunteers is important for them, Fields said.
For check-in, volunteers would need to log people in, help people follow the guidelines for entering the shelter and administer the breathalyzer test. For overnight volunteers, people can sleep in shifts and monitor to keep things running smoothly.
Volunteers will be paired with experienced people and there is training for the positions.
People interested in volunteering at the warming center can reach out through The Next Step-Joplin Facebook page or call 417-208-9793.
