In the winter of 2009, a man froze to death in Winchester, Virginia.
A group of local faith-based leaders came together, seeking to do something to prevent this from ever happening again. The solution was right at their fingertips: their church buildings which were warm and sitting empty at night. Thus, the Winchester Area Temporary Transitional Shelter (WATTS) was born.
With commitments from a handful of churches and organizations who volunteered their buildings for a week at a time, WATTS launched our first Overnight Shelter season in November 2009. Volunteers from these “host” groups provided dinners, breakfasts, and bagged lunches for WATTS guests seven days per week during the winter. Additionally, volunteers spent time with our guests, playing games, doing puzzles, or just having a time of fellowship that was judgement-free. It was truly a community effort and for that reason, it was a great success!
The Overnight Shelter has continued to operate every year since that first season.
WATTS is a low-barrier shelter, meaning we will accept any adult who is experiencing homelessness, regardless of sobriety, criminal background, etc. We seek to eliminate the “barriers” that could prevent guests from entering other shelters.
For this reason, WATTS is for ADULTS ONLY
**Anyone entering our shelters must be at least 18 YEARS OF AGE, including all volunteers.**
WATTS guests agree to abide by a set of basic rules while in our care. Trained WATTS managers are always on site to run the shelters, maintain their overall safety, and handle any issues that may arise.
WATTS operates our Overnight Shelter from 7:00pm – 7:00am every night from November – March each year. The Overnight Shelter rotates weekly to different host church locations.
The Overnight Shelter can house at least 35 guests each night. Generous volunteers provide both dinner and breakfast for our guests.
WATTS owns a bus to provide transport for our guests to the host location each night and return them in the morning.
WATTS employs Transition Support Specialists – team members who work year-round and are available to help our guests with getting the resources needed to transition out of homelessness. Things such as: obtaining identification and copies of birth certificates, assisting with job applications, housing search, forms for Centralized Housing Intake and apartments, applying for Medicaid, Medicare, and SNAP benefits, information and placement in drug and alcohol detox/rehabilitation programs, medical advocacy, and much, much more. Falling into homelessness can happen to anyone and can happen quickly; getting out is much more difficult and complex. Our team work with our guests in a case manager-type role to help guests achieve their goals, with the ultimate objective being to help set them on the path for a safe, stable future and end their homelessness. Our Transition Support Specialists maintain contact and continue to follow-up with guests, if needed, even after they are securely housed.
