Waltham's Homeless Shelters To Expand Winter Hours After Pushback

he agency's denial that its decision was in response to the pushback also doesn't mention the reason why the agency made its decision or the timing of it -- except that it was coordinating it with the city and state first? If the the coordinating efforts are the reason for the agency not announcing its plans before now, that probably should be moved up to the third graph next to the agency's response.

WALTHAM, MA — The two night shelters for homeless people in Waltham will stay open all day starting in December.

"We felt this was a necessary move given the fact that many of the establishments that historically have provided daytime shelter are not currently operating due to COVID-19, and being outdoors for the entire day in cold weather is dangerous for these individuals," said Robert Mills, CEO of Middlesex Human Service Agency, which runs the Bristol Lodge men's and women's shelter and a soup kitchen.

This comes after months of pushback from advocates in the community, including a coalition of people who work with unsheltered people in the city asking for the city and for the agency to come up with a way to have day shelters during inclement weather or at least provide access to clean bathrooms during the day. But Mills and a spokesperson for the agency said the decision was not made in response to the coalition of groups asking for it.

Mills said the Middlesex Human Service Agency has been coordinating with the city and state agencies on its winter plans, although it's not clear whether that was communicated to the advocates.

The Bristol Lodge men’s and women’s shelters, which have generally only been open for guests between 4 p.m. and 8 a.m. each day, will now stay open all day so guests are able to come and go during the daytime hours.

The only exception will be a daily cleaning period when guests cannot be present, and these will be communicated in advance, Mills said.

The agency will continue to run both its soup kitchen and food pantry, and will have some light meals and snacks during its daytime shelter operating hours.

A combination of federal and state grants and private donations is funding the expanded hours. In past winters, hours have been expended, but not at both shelters, according to Mills.

“As a nonprofit, community-based provider, we take care of our people first and figure out the funding as we go,” Mills said.

Since March, advocates have been concerned about what people experiencing homelessness in Waltham should do with businesses, the library and the only day shelter in town closed because of the pandemic.

The state and the city put up two tents on the Waltham Common in April; but when weather warmed, the tents came down.

Last month advocates became vocal about a lack of public bathrooms and were concerned when the weather turned cold again.

Before the pandemic, people experiencing homelessness could go into the library or grab a cup of coffee inside a fast-food restaurant to stay warm or dry if the weather got cold or wet or snowed. But when the pandemic hit and businesses and public places closed, they had nowhere to go. They huddled in alcoves and under umbrellas until it was time to head back to the shelter. They'd stand in line outside the Waltham Community Day Center, a day shelter that had to stop letting people inside because it was too small to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for food.

Advocates have been petitioning the city, and they held meetings to hammer out ideas and discuss possible solutions.

Chaplains on the Way opened a space inside the First Parish in Waltham this month as a way to bring unhoused people inside for a few hours on weekday mornings as the weather turned. But organizers said there was still a gap, especially on the weekends, that needed to be filled.

"I'm delighted that the Bristol Shelters will be open 24 hours a day through the winter," said Justi Godoy, of Chaplains on the Way, who has been advocating for the move.

The shelters can house up to 30 people combined, a smaller number than usual because of social distancing guidelines.

"The men and women using the shelter will be free to go to other day programs that remain open," Mills said, "but we have told them that our doors will be open during the day this winter."

Jenna Fisher is a news reporter for Patch. Got a tip? She can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Have a something you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how.