Residents in Fruit Heights were up in arms at a town hall meeting with the city and the county on Wednesday over the news that Mountain Road Church would be a location for a warming center during a Code Blue and Winter Response. Code Blue is for unhoused people on extremely cold days where temperatures drop to 18 degrees or below from Oct. 15-April 30. The county provided four possible locations to the state in October, three were county owned facilities and one private (church).

“The church stepped up and wanted to help,” said Ryan Steinbeigle, Grant Administrator for Davis County.

However, after receiving countless complaints and even some threats, Steinbeigle said the church may not go forward with the plan which is what happened after the meeting.  

“If we don’t have the church we’ll probably use the IM (emissions) center and the golf course.” (Both county facilities).

People need to understand that this is not a homeless shelter, he said. “It’s just somewhere for them to go to get warm and there’s nowhere to go in frigid temperatures.”

Steinbeigle said individuals will be picked up at different locations in the county and bused to one of the other warming centers. “They will stay the night then be taken back in the morning to the location they were picked up from.”

There are five location pick up areas, he said. “They were the areas from the Point in Time count where the most homeless people were in the county. The pick up locations are in the parking lots of the Clinton Walmart, Clearfield Rancho Market, Layton Walmart, Farmington FrontRunner Station and Bountiful/West Bountiful Gateway Crossing. The pick up times will vary depending on the different stops.”

A Sheriff’s deputy will be at the center and on the bus, said Steinbeigle. “There will be cots for eight men and eight women. If there’s more women than men they can be moved around.”

It’s only for individuals not families, he said. “Families can contact Open Doors and they’ll put them in a hotel.”

Steinbeigle said he didn’t know if even 16 will come into the warming center. “Last year Open Doors only gave out six or seven vouchers. If we have more we’ll adjust. I can’t imagine we’d turn anyone away.”

Several individuals have volunteered to help at the center but Steinbeigle said they can always use more. “We need a volunteer to drive the bus. We had someone but that fell through. We have 28 CERT volunteers and the LDS church stakes are offering to help but the more the better.”

Scan to volunteer.

Volunteers on site will do basic things like intake, he said. “The state requires us to ask questions like where was your last stabilized housing, name, social security number, etc. Volunteers will hand out nonperishable food items, water and help them get on and off the bus. The LDS church is also trying to arrange a warm meal.”

Before the church pulled out, Steinbeigle said he fielded a lot of angry and concerned phone calls. “This is for people who are sincerely worried about freezing to death. This is humanitarian aid to help people stay warm – that’s it. It’s about human life and safety. We’re trying to make sure people don’t die when it’s really cold outside.” λ