Bangor Area Homeless Shelter Is Opening A Winter Warming Spot

It's always good to count your blessings.

As the winter train is picking up steam and rolling it's way toward us, faster every day, I've done about all I can do to prepare. I've got most of the firewood cut and stacked, the oil tank is full, and the generator has been serviced for the year. I feel triple protected going into winter.

I've even got two sweet winter coats. Not to mention assorted hats and mittens, etc. It may sound like I'm bragging, but for some, all these things are extremely hard to come by. And if you're living on the street, these necessities are like unicorns. So staying warm for many fellow Bangorians is a luxury at points.

The Bangor Area Homeless Shelter comes to the rescue....as best they can.

Nights around here have been kind of one extreme or the other. We've had some nice, balmy nights out there, but some very cold ones too. As they always do, the BAHS is opening their warming shelter. It provides a space for up to 26 people to wait out the night when it's super cold. It'll be open from 6:00pm - 5:00am, November 1st - March.

It will also provide snacks, coffee, warm socks, and activities to keep folks occupied while they're waiting for morning, according to Fox ABC Maine. If it's a particularly busy evening, they've also partnered with the Brick Church just down the street, who can also help out with the overflow.

Of course, the real goal is to get folks off the streets and into housing.

Most folks who show up needing services, are often offered assistance of some kind, geared toward getting them off the streets. Whether it's to help reconnect them with family, or find services to help them out. However it's done, the folks at the Bangor Are Homeless Shelter are doing great work for this community, and we should thank them.