SIDNEY — With the debut of the 24-hour, 2-1-1 hotline and the willingness of the Alpha Center to host the Warming Center, Sidney will once again have a shelter on the coldest nights for those who find themselves in need of a warm place to sleep.

“I am pleased to announce that the Mayor’s Task Force on Homelessness has again this year found a collaborative way to partially address homelessness,” Sidney Mayor Mike Barhorst said. “A 24-hour hotline operated by Shelby County 2-1-1 will serve as a referral source for those needing emergency shelter.”

“That hotline will provide information about the Warming Center, this year located in the Alpha Community Center, 330 E. Court St.,” Barhorst said. “Those finding themselves in need are encouraged to call the Shelby County 2-1-1 hotline (937.498.7261). In addition to information about the emergency warming shelter, the hotline will also be able to provide other emergency housing options.”

“The Warming Center will open to anyone endangered by the inclement weather conditions from Jan. 2, 2016, to March 31, 2016, whenever the National Weather Service announces the temperature will dip below 20 degrees,” he said.

“New Choices, a shelter for victims of domestic violence, may also be able to provide shelter and case management to homeless women and children who are able to follow a strict case plan to help them get on their feet and into a place of their own,” Barhorst said. “It is important to note that case management can also be provided to others who are homeless through the Community Action Center, provided they meet the necessary criteria.”

Announcement of the opening of the Warming Center will be made by 12 p.m./noon on days that it will be open by notifying the Shelby County 2-1-1 Hotline; Radio Station WMVR; Sidney Daily News; Sidney Police Department; Shelby County Sheriff’s Office; Sidney Fire Department; members of the Shelby County Ministerial Association; and, selected agencies within Shelby County to get the word out.

Announcement of the opening of the Warming Center will also be posted on Sidney First United Methodist Church’s lighted sign at the corner of North Street and Miami Avenue, and on the churches Facebook page and website, www.sidneyfirst.com, according to Sidney First United Methodist Church Pastor David Chivington.

“The Warming Center will open at 6:30 p.m. Guests will be welcomed until 9 p.m. at the Alpha Center’s Court Street entrance,” Director Terry Sharp stated. “Guests who find themselves in need of admittance later than 9 p.m. must be accompanied by a law enforcement officer or have made prior arrangement to arrive later than 9 p.m. with the center’s director.”

“We will plan to serve a hot meal at 7 p.m. to all those in the Warming Center,” Sharp stated. “Again this year, the Warming Center will not be a 24-hour facility. They will be able to have hot showers and a place to sleep. Guests will be served a hot breakfast at 7 a.m. prior to leaving in the morning.”

Guests at the Warming Center must agree to follow specific rules. Those rules are available on the website, and will be provided to guests at the time they check in.

Sharp is seeking volunteers to assist with both meal preparation and to assist with overnight supervision. “We will need to have two volunteers who are willing to stay overnight,” Sharp stated. “If we do not have volunteers, we simply won’t be able to open.”

Those wishing to volunteer can contact Sharp directly at 937-726-1575. Sidney First United Methodist Church is also assisting with volunteer recruitment. Those wishing to volunteer can also contact the church 937-492-9136.

”We are grateful to the board of the Alpha Center for their willingness to provide the site for the Warming Center,” Barhorst said.

“The layout of the Alpha Center is ideal for this,” Sharp agreed. “Because of their small staff and their limited budget, they are unable to staff the Warming Center, but the center was staffed with volunteers last year, and we believe that there are enough caring people in the community to staff the center with volunteers again this year.”

“I am also grateful to Pastor David Chivington and his congregation for their work in establishing and hosting the Warming Center last year,” Barhorst said. “However, the Church was not designed for such a facility, and the Alpha Center certainly has all the components necessary. We believe this will be a better fit.”

“I remain hopeful that in the future, we will be able to add two more components. Those components will include housing for homeless families and for single males,” Barhorst said. “Both of these population segments remain a concern. We continue to work with the Salvation Army, the Community Action Center, and a host of others in an effort to solve the problem of homelessness in our local community.”

The current effort began on Jan. 22, 2015, when Barhorst invited more than 200 stakeholders to attend a community forum to discuss the issue of homelessness. Utilizing the input from that session, the Mayor’s Task Force on Homelessness was formed. That group has met on an ongoing basis to discuss potential ways in which those who find themselves in need of emergency shelter can be assisted.

“I will always be grateful to those community members who gave of their time and talent during the forum,” Barhorst said. “That input was essential as the Task Force undertook their work.”

“I am also deeply indebted to the members of the Mayor’s Homelessness Task Force, who have given freely of their time and talent to arrive at this point. It has been a difficult, time-consuming and frequently a frustrating process. I have had to remind myself a number of times that if the process had been an easy one, it would have been accomplished a long time ago,” Barhorst said.

Members of the Mayor’s Task Force on Homelessness include Kathy Lindsey, Executive Director of New Choices who has also served as secretary of the group, Shelby County Commissioner Robert Guillozet, Shelby County United Way Executive Director Scott Barr, Sidney First United Methodist Church Senior Pastor Dr. David Chivington, Salvation Army Corps Commander Lieutenant Joseph Hanson, Alpha Community Center Executive Director Jan Geuy, Community Action Partnership Shelby County Manager Linda Lukey, Saint John’s Lutheran Church Lead Pastor Jonathan Schriber, Shelby County Ministerial Association Past President Jane Madden, Shelby Metropolitan Housing Authority Executive Director Judy Wells, Dorothy Love Gift Planning Director Tom Barry, Director of Community Housing of

Darke, Miami and Shelby Counties, Inc. Dorothy Crusoe, President of Isaiah Industries Todd Miller, Family and Children First Council Executive Director Diann Rodrigues, and Port Jefferson Church of Christ Pastor David Clem.