As written about in this column a few months ago, we lost a dear friend last November. Russell Williams lost his life as he rested in his sleeping bag on a bitter cold night not far from the gazebo in downtown Brunswick. In the hopes that this would not happen to anyone else, the staff, Board, and volunteers at The Gathering Place, a daytime drop-in center, developed a plan to extend our hours when the temperature is expected to drop to 5 degrees or below. We sought – and received – approval from the town and from the Police Department. The limitation is that we will identify as a warming center, not as an emergency sleep-in shelter. Our guests will be provided with the same comfy chairs and blankets that are available during the day, but we will not provide cots or bedding.

With plans and procedures developed, we extended our welcome all night for the first time a few weeks ago, and have done so one more time since. The first night four guests who are unhoused – some living on the street, some in an unheated garage – joined us. The second night our numbers increased to seven, including two who came in as the sun rose, so appreciative to discover we were open. That was seven people who otherwise would not have had access to warmth on a night when the temperature hit minus 6 degrees outside. The first night one fellow found his way to the Tedford Shelter, which was full, and they sent him over. Another guest brought pizza from her place of employment to share with all. And yet another person went out for soft drinks and snacks for everyone

For several hours, some visitors slept on chairs, a few on the floor. And still others stayed awake through the night with the volunteers. There were three or four volunteers always present, including at least one trained Supervisor. Some of us took two-hour shifts, some four or more. A few hardy souls stayed the entire night! It speaks well about the community we have here at TGP that because so many people volunteered our scheduler had to turn some away!

Brunswick Police have been especially helpful, providing us with extra support on the first night when we had not yet secured our own security detail. One officer even joined us for a rousing game of Go Fish. It is remarkable how such a simple game can be fun for grown people when it is so cold and oh-so-late! Throughout the night we played cards, drank coffee, and chatted with our visitors.

Volunteers and guests challenged themselves with New York Times Sunday Crossword Puzzles and Spelling Bees. As morning drew near, Gin Rummy was the tonic for staying awake.

Our intent at The Gathering Place is to keep it local – open for our Brunswick community. To this end, most guests interested in joining us pre-register before we close for the day at 3  p.m. We have let Mid Coast Hospital, Tedford Shelter, the Soup Kitchen and the Brunswick Police Department know when we are extending our hours, so they can direct anyone seeking warmth to head our way when we re-open for the night at 8 pm. Indeed, each night one guest seeking warmth was brought to us by the police.

When the news outlets published stories on Russell’s death last year, we received an enormous amount of support from local residents who dropped off sleeping bags and blankets for those sleeping outside. Community organizations like the Brunswick Coastal Rotary Club have also extended support as we hope to make this emergency warming center an ongoing opportunity every winter. Though both of us would much rather be seeing Russell coming through our door, singing, smiling, or causing trouble, we can find some solace in knowing that he has been the motivation for this effort to see that no other person has to be outside overnight in our beautiful and prosperous town when the weather is dangerously cold.

We all understand this is not an ideal solution, but rather a short-term answer to the long term problem of housing the homeless in our town. But it is a step forward, brought to Brunswick by the volunteers who are supported by the community, and especially by the guests who bring the real warmth to The Gathering Place.

The Gathering Place serves as a drop-in center five days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on Saturday, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Patsy Oehl and Phil Studwell are both volunteer supervisors and board members at The Gathering Place. Giving Voice is a weekly collaboration among four local non-profit service agencies to share information and stories about their work in the community. 

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