LR’s shelters open despite weather woes

The number of people seeking shelter increased by nearly two-thirds at the Little Rock Compassion Center on Friday, as people from all over central Arkansas tried to escape snow, sleet, ice and freezing rain.

The Rev. William Holloway, center director, said the facility was holding about 175-200 people who don’t have homes at noon Friday, and he expected the shelter to fill up throughout the day.

The center, at 4210 Asher Ave., has beds or cushioned floor mats for 325 people, but Holloway said he plans to make room for everyone who needs it.

“I figure people will stay now the whole week long,” Holloway said.

He said he’s not worried about running out of food, clothing or blankets, but more coats would be welcome.

Homeless people in central Arkansas could stay overnight at the Compassion Center, Union Rescue Mission and Our House. Little Rock’s day shelter, Jericho Way, stayed open. But the weekday shelter at River City Ministry in North Little Rock was closed because of the weather.

Emergency shelters in Little Rock or North Little Rock are open only during extensive power failures, and none were open by Friday afternoon, North Little Rock and American Red Cross officials said.

The American Red Cross identifies emergency shelters in Little Rock and hadn’t been asked to open any, said Brigette Williams, spokesman for the Red Cross in Arkansas.

Paul Wilkerson, operations manager for River City Ministry, said the day shelter wasn’t open Friday because it often stays closed when North Little Rock’s city of-fices close. Workers had been instructing people using the center earlier this week to go to night shelters during the storm.

Wilkerson said homeless people often don’t seek day shelters when the weather is bad because they prefer not to leave familiar spots.

“They won’t move when the weather’s bad,” he said.

Wilkerson said the shelter’s weekly lunch and Sunday medical clinic also were canceled. The shelter at 1021 E. Washington Ave. gets about 200 visitors a day.

Georgia Mjartan, the executive director of Our House, said the center was nearing capacity, but she doesn’t expect a huge influx of people because of its mission as a longer-term shelter for people seeking to exit homelessness.

About noon Friday, the center had room left for nine women and children and four men in its 80-bed facility, though the center can go over capacity with women and children by placing babies in bassinets, Mjartan said.

During last winter’s snowstorm, Our House, 302 E. Roosevelt Road, lost power, and Mjartan said people have been reaching out to the center this week to make sure the center doesn’t repeat the crisis.

She said someone donated a small generator that will power space heaters and that the Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health and the Clinton Presidential Center donated enough food for 500 people from a canceled event Friday night.

Mjartan said she was glad people were thinking ahead this time.

“That’s really touching,” she said.