Warming Shelter ILM offers a safe and warm place for Wilmington’s homeless neighbors
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Warming Shelter ILM will be open for the second night on Monday night as colder-than-normal temperatures make it dangerous for those without a warm place to stay.
The shelter, located at Grace United Methodist Church in Wilmington, can accommodate more than 80 people per night.
Guests are given warm meals for breakfast and dinner and there are even games and movies available to enjoy.
Michael Havens has been homeless for several months and said he appreciates what people are doing to help people like himself.
“It means the world as a homeless person,” Havens said. “I’ve been sleeping under trees and to be able to have a place where people care about you and today, they’re even offering showers for people. And they’re offering basic necessities of life that make us feel more human.”
The shelter also hands out jackets, blankets and other donated items to help keep guests warm when the shelter isn’t open.
Pastor Benny Oakes said the shelter brings so many people together in a way that creates a stronger community.
“Constantly having to move places and stay away from people,” Oakes said. “Constant threat of other people seeing them in a negative light and so this is, what it means for all of us is a chance to be in solidarity together with each other.”
Havens added that he’s glad to have a place where he and many other people can feel safe.
“They put a sticker with my name on my cot and that’s my cot back there over in the corner amongst, you know, the 100 or 120 or so different cots here. I think there were about 81 people here last night. And I still have my stuff sitting over there in the corner and its secure, its trusted, its safe and this is a safe place to be for people.”
The shelter is expected to remain open through the end of this week, and for it to open, there must be two consecutive evenings where the temperature drops below 30 degrees.
A warming shelter will also open Monday night in Brunswick County at the Christian Recovery Center in Shallotte.
