Christina Lee, Head Photography Editor

New Haven’s warming centers opened their doors for the winter season on Nov. 15, already expecting a full house for the season.

New Haven’s walk-in warming centers operate from mid-November to mid-April on a first-come, first-served basis. Equipped with mats and blankets, the centers provide unhoused residents with a warm place to sleep for the night, with some serving hot dinners and breakfasts as well. The centers are located throughout the greater New Haven area in New Haven, Milford and Hamden.

The city’s warming centers in New Haven collaborate through United Way of Greater New Haven, and engage in meetings to discuss hours, special accommodations and contact information, according to Shellina Toure, the program manager of the Varick Memorial warming center.

The 180 Center, located at 438 East St., is one of the city’s warming centers that has recently opened for the season. The 180 Center, led by Pastor Mike Caroleo, is a Christian non-profit dedicated to addiction recovery and homelessness support. Beyond serving as a warming center in the winter, 180 also provides free breakfasts and lunches to those in need year-round.

With a capacity of 32, the 180 center has received around 18 to 26 people per night in its first week since opening. Teddy Natter, the warming center’s supervisor, noted that the center will likely be packed in the coming weeks. Natter explained that when the center reaches capacity, it will have to turn people away.

The Varick Memorial Center, located at 242 Dixwell Ave., has also observed similar attendance. Varick has been averaging around 20 people per night in its first week, with a capacity of 35, according to Toure. Like the 180 Center, Varick also expects to see growing numbers of visitors as the winter continues.

“When we get to capacity and cannot help the people, or have to turn people away, that’s when you start feeling the stress of it,” Toure said.

As a program manager, Toure collects visitors’ information, where they are coming from and their date of birth, to ensure that the shelter’s services best accommodate the people they service. So far, most of the visitors have been New Haven residents, with a small number coming from other cities and states, and the general age of visitors ranges from 30 to 55.

While the centers are funded mostly through donations, some have received funding from organizations like the Community Foundation of Greater New Haven.

The Spooner House, located on 30 Todd Rd. in Shelton, services people from the greater New Haven region, but mainly serves the lower Naugatuck Valley as it is the valley’s only shelter. 

This year, the Spooner House received $10,000 in grant money from the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. According to Susan Agamy, the executive director of the Spooner House, part of that grant will go toward ensuring that the shelter’s warming center is equipped with bedding, cots and additional food.

The grant comes from the Community Foundation’s Basic Needs Fund, which provides grants to smaller organizations that provide people with basic material needs. According to Christina Ciociola, senior vice president for planning and community strategies at the foundation, the fund received over 60 applications, a 35 percent increase since last year’s cycle. This application cycle, 44 grants totaling $350,000 were awarded.

Despite an increase in funding, with the New Haven area’s unhoused population nearly doubling in the past year, there are concerns that more resources will be needed.

“The resources, for the most part, are flat,” Agamy said. “This year, we have not had an increase in resources, which is, generally speaking, which is a little concerning, given our anticipation of an increased need.”

Shelters provide the care necessary to get through the colder months for the homeless population.

Frank Perez, who has been a resident at the Beth-El Center for five months after being homeless for around two years, appreciates how the shelter has supported him thus far.

“They do a great job here for residents and getting them help with what they need to do,” Perez said. “This place has really helped me and my fiance out of being homeless.”

Having been on both ends of receiving support and offering support as a warming center supervisor, Natter hopes that he can be a support system for the homeless people he works with every day at the 180 Center.

Before becoming the program supervisor, Natter experienced homelessness and underwent the 180 Center’s 18-month discipleship program, which provided him with a place to stay. After successfully completing the program, he went on to become a staff member of the center. 

“I’m talking from a place where I can relate to their pain and their suffering on an experiential level,” Natter said. 

While four of the six warming centers operating this year are open now, some centers are set to open later. The Columbus House warming center, located in the gymnasium of the Keefe Community Center, and the Youth Continuum center on Grand Avenue are set to open in early January.