Macomb Co. nonprofit to open shelter for homeless women and children
Mount clemens – A decades-old Macomb County nonprofit is gearing up for the spring opening of its first shelter for homeless women and children.
The Macomb County Regional Emergency Shelter Team (MCREST) facility, located in a previously vacant building at 215 S. Main Street, will house about 45 women and children for up to 90 days at a time, the Detroit told The Detroit executive director of the group, April Fidler. News.
MCREST raised $ 1.6 million to renovate the three-story building in downtown Mount Clemens through a two-year capital campaign.
The shelter is expected to open to guests in April. It has bedrooms on each of the three levels, a women’s common area with a fireplace, and a children’s playroom.
“These are people who would otherwise have to line up at one of the 30 churches in the area that provide shelter overnight,” Fidler said. “With this new facility, we are able to provide some life stabilization to the homeless until resources can be found to help them live independently.
The MCREST shelter will provide food, education and training services for homeless women and children. The site will include a Learning and Resource Center for your guests to get assistance with job and resume creation and will offer after-school tutoring.
Officials said they hope to transition shelter families to permanent housing and help them find secure work.
Fidler said there are 45 women and children in Macomb County on any given day who suddenly need a safe and warm place to spend the night. On any given night, churches and temporary shelters, including hotels, become home to 260 guests in Macomb County. Almost half of the beds are occupied by children.
More than 1,000 children are left homeless in Macomb County each year, he noted.
“For adults, the prospect of homelessness is bad enough,” Fidler said. “For children, it is considerably worse. They have not made decisions that have brought them to this point. They do not know what is happening ”.
COVID-19 has made things even worse, Fidler said. When the state ordered people to stay home (in 2020), if you are homeless, where do you go? she posed
Gardner White Furniture Co. delivered a donation of beds, Bedgear pillows and other furniture to the shelter Tuesday.
Rachel Stewart, president of Gardner White, said the family business is part of Detroit and is taking a step forward to support groups like the Salvation Army and the Red Cross.
The company is donating furniture for the building’s reception and common areas and Bedgear is providing 100 double-size pillows.
“I’ve seen some of the kids suddenly have a bed to sleep in,” Stewart said. “They don’t want to quit.”
The nonprofit organization also provides shelter services at a Shelby Township motel and partners with churches to provide shelter and support for homeless men.
While most churches limit stays to one week, the new shelter intends to make stays of up to 90 days the norm for the women and children it will serve.
Guests will receive shelter on a first-come, first-served basis, “said Fidler.
MCREST was founded in 1988 as a day camp for the homeless and has expanded into a non-profit organization that helps some 600 people each year who face homelessness.
For more information on MCREST, visit mcrest.org. People in need of shelter should call (586) 415-5101.
I heard about you on the news on Tuesday, January 11 that you need scarves and hats I’m a 65 year old German lady what do I do crochet And give it away
I wonder if I can get your address and drop off some scarves and hats for the people who are staying with ,When you open your doors
I heard about you on the news on Tuesday, January 11 that you need scarves and hats I’m a 65 year old German lady what do I do crochet And give it away
I wonder if I can get your address and drop off some scarves and hats for the people who are staying with ,When you open your doors.I like the address from Mcrest
So I can take my hat and scarfs to them.Thank you