BOISE, Idaho — As temperatures begin to drop in Boise, local homeless shelters are preparing for the challenging winter months ahead while working with limited space and resources.
Two downtown Boise shelters are already seeing increased demand as colder weather arrives. Interfaith Sanctuary, which provides overnight accommodations, and Corpus Commons, which offers daytime services, are both working to meet growing needs.
"Winter starts to bring a whole other challenge," said Jessica Abbott, executive director of Corpus Commons.
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The challenge becomes more complex as temperatures drop while shelter space remains limited.
"So when it gets hotter or it gets colder, we see more need, but we don't have more space," said Jodi Peterson-Stigers, executive director of Interfaith Sanctuary.
To address the increased demand, Interfaith Sanctuary opened an overflow area this Wednesday, welcoming its first guests to the expanded facility.
"It's a military tent that has heaters in it, and then we have a portable classroom where we do our recovery program," Peterson-Stigers said. "We actually flex those to sleeping spaces at night so we can take another 21 people."
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Meanwhile, Corpus Commons, which provides daytime services including meals and showers, is already operating at full capacity.
"We're wall to wall right now in the mornings, and we're seeing almost some days double in what we're feeding for both lunch, breakfast, and how many showers we're providing," Abbott said.
Boise typically experiences overnight temperatures that dip into single digits during the winter months, and temperatures can occasionally drop below zero. Shelter leaders emphasize that such extreme cold can be life-threatening for people experiencing homelessness.
"BPD may drop somebody off for us during the day when it starts snowing and getting really cold,” Abbott said. “They might need some basic medical attention, but maybe it's not quite an ER situation. But we don't want to get there, right?"
"It puts them at risk of hypothermia and also just literally freezing to death, losing limbs, toes, things like that," Peterson-Stigers said.
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Both shelter leaders are calling on the Boise community to help support their efforts throughout the winter months.
"Or you can bring them a blanket or a jacket," Peterson-Stigers said. "Don't just walk by if you really are concerned. Try to take an extra step to make sure that they're safe."
Abbott emphasized the importance of sustained community support beyond the holiday season.
"So when the holidays hit, when it gets cold, a lot of people step up to help, and we need that consistency to roll over into January and February and March," Abbott said.
The shelters are currently seeking donations of warm coats, mittens, hats, and other lightly used winter essentials to help meet the growing demand as temperatures continue to drop.
And Corpus Commons will be hosting an inaugural gingerbread house building competition. Registration closes November 21.
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