rich 1.0 Action Network https://actionnetwork.org <link href='https://actionnetwork.org/css/style-embed-v3.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' /><script src='https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v6/petition/find-a-way-to-reopen-times-center?format=js&source=widget'></script><div id='can-petition-area-find-a-way-to-reopen-times-center' style='width: 100%'><!-- this div is the target for our HTML insertion --></div> Sandra Ahten https://actionnetwork.org/users/sandra-ahten/profile https://can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/petitions/photos/000/039/928/normal/HomelessInWinter.jpg It is freezing and the men's emergency shelter is closed. The Salvation Army and churches are trying to absorb some of the more than 50+ men who used the shelter regularly. But that is the patchwork operation requiring organization / transportation/ understanding which programs require the men to be "in a program" / sober, etc. That was the patchwork system we had before we organized to get the men's winter shelter out of the basement of McKinnley Church. The Times Center opened in 2000. Many resources, over and above the $1.4 million of local, state and federal money that was used to build the building were invested, including sourcing where to locate the shelter, monitoring the crime, and even the donation of the land by a local citizen. We have a shelter, there is no need to scramble to try to figure out how to solve this problem. The physical shelter needs to be returned to the community and the governmental bodies and community social service agencies and volunteers need to work together to make sure it is staffed in the immediate future. https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/find-a-way-to-reopen-times-center