Even though we’re still in the midst of the hottest summer on record, it’s time to start thinking about the cold months ahead and how the area’s homeless population will survive.
WATTS, which changed its name in October from the Winchester Area Temporary Thermal Shelter to the Winchester Area Temporary Transitional Shelter, will host its fourth annual “An Evening of Caring and Sharing” fundraiser Saturday to collect a portion of the money it needs to continue housing and caring for people experiencing homelessness in the Winchester area.
“It’s one of our largest [annual] fundraisers,” Robyn Miller, executive director of WATTS, said on Tuesday. “It’s just a fun night.”
“An Evening of Caring and Sharing” will be held from 5-11 p.m. Saturday at the Winchester Moose Lodge at 215 E. Cork St. Tickets are $50 each and can be purchased at the door or in advance at watts-homelessshelter.org.
Proceeds will benefit the nonprofit organization that has been offering overnight shelter for the homeless from November through March since 2009 — a service it provides in conjunction with local churches and community groups that volunteer to house the WATTS program for one week at a time. To make sure guests can access the rotating shelter locations, WATTS offers a free shuttle service based in downtown Winchester. The upcoming overnight shelter season begins. Nov. 4.
Last winter, Miller said WATTS served a total of 225 people at its overnight thermal shelter locations and daytime warming center. It also hosts a daytime cooling center in the summer.
The overnight shelter could be in even higher demand this winter because the Winchester Salvation Army isn’t currently housing people at its shelter on Fort Collier Road. The Winchester Rescue Mission is the community’s only year-round shelter at the moment.
WATTS, which has an annual budget of $350,000, must raise enough money not only for its temporary thermal shelter program, but also for its recently launched year-round initiatives to transition people out of homelessness by helping clients obtain documentation such as birth certificates and IDs, fill out job applications, schedule medical appointments, find affordable dwellings and more.
“We had to hire more staff because it was more needed than we realized,” Miller said of the WATTS program to transition people out of homelessness. “They work year-round and around the clock to help people. … It can take a long time to get someone from homelessness to housed. And it takes a lot of support afterward — we don’t just help them get in a house and walk away. We keep trying to support them to make sure they stay successfully housed because it’s difficult.”
Additionally, WATTS operates a daytime cooling center each summer so people with nowhere to go can find relief from the heat. In the winter, a daytime warming center is offered to protect the homeless from the cold. Both centers are located at Market Street United Methodist Church at 131 S. Cameron St. in Winchester, and the people who utilize them are treated to snacks and beverages whenever they visit.
“WATTS has grown, which is a wonderful thing, but it also means we have to raise a lot more money,” Miller said. “Also, our goal has always been to have a building of our own and that takes a lot of money, so we’re fundraising very hard to achieve our goals.”
Miller said Saturday’s “An Evening of Caring and Sharing” is a great way for area residents to help the area’s homeless while having a good time.
“Shag band is playing and there will be good food, lots of raffle baskets, and more” she said.
There will also be a cash bar, dancing, a live auction, awards, a selfie station and guest speakers who will highlight the importance of WATTS and its mission to serve the local homeless population.
When asked for a recent example of how WATTS helped a client get off the streets and start a better life, Miller spoke of a man who had utilized the nonprofit’s thermal shelter the past two winters.
“He finally agreed to go into rehab in Lynchburg and he knocked it out of the park,” Miller said. “He ended up getting a job down in Lynchburg and found housing in a sober-living home. He’s still there, happy and successful.”
To learn more about WATTS and Saturday’s “An Evening of Caring and Sharing” fundraiser, visit watts-homelessshelter.org.
