WATTS’ cold-weather overnight shelter opens Saturday

The Winchester Area Temporary Transitional Shelter (WATTS) program opens for the 2023-24 winter season on Saturday.

WATTS is a nonprofit organization that works with local churches to provide overnight shelter for individuals 18 and older who are homeless and need a place to escape the cold. Volunteers serve dinner and breakfast to guests, and they also provide them with bagged lunches.

From Saturday through March 30, WATTS will coordinate shelter locations with its partner churches. The first week will be hosted by Welltown United Methodist Church in Clear Brook.

Welltown is one of several host churches not located in Winchester, which could pose a problem for the city’s homeless residents who do not have transportation. Fortunately, WATTS has them covered. Free shuttle service will be offered by the nonprofit to and from any shelter location outside of downtown Winchester. Pickups occur at 6 p.m. daily, and then guests are returned each morning at 7 a.m. to Winchester.

WATTS operates low-barrier shelters, meaning guests do not have to be sober, provide an ID or have a clean criminal record to get out of the cold. They do, however, have to adhere to the rules.

Those rules, according to information provided by WATTS Executive Director Robyn Miller, state that anyone 18 or older can stay at the nonprofit’s overnight shelters provided they are respectful to volunteers and other guests, and refrain from fighting or using profanity. Each guest is allowed to bring one small bag plus any medications they are taking, but no pets, drugs or alcohol will be permitted on premises.

The overnight thermal shelter, which can accommodate up to 35 people, will operate daily from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. through March. If you need temporary respite, call 540-327-5431 or email execdirector@watts-homelessshelter.org.

In addition to its cold-weather overnight shelter program, WATTS also offers a daytime warming center at Market Street United Methodist Church this year, which will operate Nov. 25 through March 29 from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-6 p.m. Sunday.

WATTS is committed to helping homeless individuals rise above their circumstances and re-establish independence. To that end, it offers year-round support services from its Transition Support Specialists. Services include helping people get identification or copies of their birth certificates, complete housing forms and job applications, apply for benefits and more.

To learn more about WATTS or make a donation to support the nonprofit, visit watts-homelessshelter.org.