Warming Shelter sees 112+ guests as temperatures continue to drop in Wilmington

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — An emergency, overnight shelter in Wilmington saw an increase in people using its services on Wednesday night.

The Warming Shelter is operating out of Grace United Methodist Church at 401 Grace Street. It opened for the first time at this location last month.

As temperatures are expected to dip well below freezing this week, it opened on Tuesday and will stay open through Monday. On its first night open this week, it welcomed 85 guests but volunteers expected the need to grow as temperatures continued to drop.

This prediction rang true on Wednesday as the shelter welcomed more than 112 guests, including one minor. The shelter borrowed cots from Good Shepherd Center, anticipating the increased need, but still ran out. However, the shelter will not turn anyone away. They will provide blankets to make a bed on the floor for anyone wanting to get out of the cold.

“[The temperatures] will be in the teens this weekend,” said Wendy Bailey, a board member for Warming Shelter ILM. “The need for more cots, the need for more staff, more volunteers to be in here is only going to grow as the temperature drops.”

With more than one hundred people utilizing the shelter on Wednesday and many others expected throughout the week, volunteers encourage people to give those experiencing homelessness grace.

“Everybody thinks that just because somebody is homeless it’s because of drugs, because of alcohol. It’s not that case with everybody,” said Joe Stanley. “Some people just can’t afford the rent, they can’t afford the rent and the light bill, they can’t afford the rent and the light bill and the water bill. They end up living in the streets.”

For the latest on what the shelter needs, visit its Facebook page. 

Information on how to donate or volunteer can be found on its website.