City leaders scrambled Monday to open city hall as a daytime weather shelter after discovering that Save the Michaels was closed for Martin Luther King Day, and the Lockport Public Library closed due to weather.
Kevin Kirchberger, alderman at large, learned of the lack of daytime sheltering from Cornerstone Ice Arena, who said a group of homeless people were gathered in their entrance corridor.
The Salvation Army, which operates eastern Niagara County’s Code Blue overnight shelter during freezing weather, requires that people leave at 8 a.m. The Code Blue shelter opens at 8 p.m.
“Yesterday was kind of a unique day because it was a holiday,” Tucker said. “Everything was closed during the day. Save the Michaels would normally be open during the day.”
Save the Michaels, operates a drop-in center for the public weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. that is a welcoming space with computers, wifi, TV, bagels, and coffee.
Kirchberger said he reached out to Mayor John Lombardi III, and Mike Tucker, the city’s Homeless Alliance coordinator. Lombardi agreed to open city hall, and people were able to stay there from 1:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Tucker said the 17 homeless people at Cornerstone Arena were informed that city hall was open to them.
“There still remains a gap everyday because Save the Michaels closes at 4:30 and Code Blue doesn’t open until 8 p.m.,” Tucker said. “They left the doors at city hall open until 8 p.m.”
Tucker said city hall had been used for daytime Code Blue sheltering last year.
To avoid a similar situation occurring again, Tucker said he will be checking with Save the Michaels, the library, and other locations the homeless depend on, about possible Presidents Day closures or other winter holidays.
“We want to make sure we don’t run into this problem again,” he said. Tucker said city hall was adequately equipped yesterday.
“City hall has blankets,” he said. “We don’t really need cots. For as few times as this happens, it probably wouldn’t be a good expense.”
The community has been generous in donating to the city’s Homeless Alliance at its Friday clothing distribution days at the Lockport Public Library community room from 1 to 3 p.m.
“We had six citizens bring bags of clothes,” Tucker said. “One woman made eight beautiful knit hats. Very well made.”
Others residents donated Walmart gift cards, which he said will be used to make more customized purchases, like boots in certain sizes.
“The citizens now are keenly aware of where we are on Fridays,” he said.