Williamsburg homeless shelter now closed to everyone until renovations complete

One week after announcing they would no longer be accepting women, officials at the Williamsburg homeless shelter have announced the shelter will also be closed to men, but said all will be welcome back following some structural changes to the facility.

Bill Woodward, director/case manager of Emergency Christian Ministries, said changes to the facility include moving the men’s dorm and clothing room, creating a new doorway and partitions inside and outside the building.

The changes are necessary following an increase of incidents of male and female residents attempting to sneak into one another’s rooms.

"It seems that in the last year things have just gotten out of hand," Woodward noted. "We want to do good. We are Christian-oriented. Of course, we can’t have any fornication or adultery going on up here."

“I’m trying to help people and will help people,” Woodward added.

“It’s just a little dilemma,” he said.

Woodward estimated the changes will cost $1,000 in materials, which included 2×4 and 4×4 lumber, tin roofing, and sheetrock.

“I’ve got some stuff I can use to start,” Woodward said, adding there are several residents with carpentry skills that will be helping with the project.

“The sooner we get this done, the better,” he said.

The shelter operates on private donations. Woodward said it will continue to do so and anything the public can do to help hasten the changes is appreciated.

Donations may be brought to the shelter on U.S. 25W, or donors may contact Woodward at 549-2922.

“If someone doesn’t want to bring money, they can bring the materials,” Woodward said, adding that the shelter also needs to replace some of the mats and cots used by the residents.

“Some of them are getting worn,” Woodward said.

Anyone that would like to help but doesn’t have the means to donate money or materials, donations of time are also welcome.
Woodward said hands to help with the changes are welcome and appreciated.

“Any church that wants to do a project, this would be good,” Woodward suggested.

Woodward said the shelter has a capacity of 70 people, divided evenly between men and women. The shelter typically has 25 to 30 people at a given time with two-third of them being men. That number increases to about 35 in the winter months.
The shelter opened in 1990.

Woodward said 300 to 400 individuals come in to the shelter each year. In addition to shelter, individuals receive food and clothing, which is either purchased with monetary donations or comes through direct donations to the shelter.

“We don’t get any government funding for operating expenses,” Woodward said.

The shelter is a non-profit organization so any donations are tax deductible.