Gerald Heersma enjoys a cigarette after lunch at the Baker House soup kitchen in Rockingham Thursday. He has maintained a campsite near Rockingham throughout the recent run of cold weather. “Sometimes, in the early morning it’s a bit too cold to sleep,” Heersma said. “It was that way this morning.”
While low temperatures are driving people inside, fewer are seeking shelter at Baker House, Rockingham’s shelter for the homeless,
The shelter is reporting a decrease in the number of homeless seeking shelter compared to last winter.
“We haven’t seen the same number of people at the shelter this winter, and that’s at least in part due to many of our clients from previous years’ have had success in transitioning from homelessness to independence,” Baker House Director Rene Rohleder said. “We’re very proud of those who have, it’s really what we strive for — for them to become independent from our program. So, it’s kind of an accomplishment on their part and on ours.”
She said there are at least five of last winter’s residents who have moved out and found a place they can call their own.
“Most homeless individuals don’t want to be that way,” she said. “They don’t want to be dependent on program like ours. It’s very humbling and very hard for them to ask for help. They have a sense of pride, just like everyone else.”
The shelter accommodates 30 people on a normal night, and more as needed, Rohleder said. Last winter it was packed to the gills.
This winter, however, she said there have typically been 12 to 15 occupants each night, with “a couple of nights” at full capacity.
While the shelter is running at about half its capacity, there are increasing numbers in the lines of the Hamlet and Rockingham soup kitchens, Rohleder said.
The greatest need the shelter and kitchens currently have is monetary donations to keep the electricity and heat on over the winter months.
“It’s not only the homeless we help, we also help the working poor, those who have been laid-off and people who are going through a rough spot,” Rohleder said.
For the county’s homeless, there may be a warm place to sleep at night, but there’s no shelter from the cold of the day.
It doesn’t open until the evening, which puts them on the streets while the sun is out.
“We do need winter outer wear donations to keep them safe and warm during the day,” Rohleder said. “That would include coats, gloves, hats and especially good shoes, like winter boots, and heavy socks. Or even if we had some thermal underwear, which we never get, that would be a good way for them to stay safe and warm.”
Staff Writer Philip D. Brown can be reached at (910) 997-3111 ext. 32, or by e-mail at pbrown@yourdailyjournal.com.
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