FRESNO, Calif. — With temperatures dropping across the region and several local shelters recently closing, the Fresno Mission is stepping up to make sure no family is left out in the cold this winter.
The Fresno Mission’s CEO, Matt Didline, says the organization made a promise this year that no child who comes through their doors will sleep outside, and no parent with a child will be turned away, no matter how full the shelter gets.
“As everybody knows right now, the temperatures are falling, and so we made the decision to open it up,” Didline said.
Unlike most warming shelters in Fresno, which only open when temperatures drop below 35 degrees, the Fresno Mission is open every single night.
Didline said the mission wants to make sure every family has a safe place to stay during the cold weather.
“Now, this year we’ve made some changes. So, the last couple of decades we’ve operated kind of a single place for a warming center, but this year because of the closures of the city-operated shelters, we knew that demand was going to be higher,” he said.
The Fresno Mission has opened its facility with hundreds of beds and spaces ready for those who need it most.
Last year alone, the warming center provided 512 nights of shelter to children, hosting between 80 and 110 kids at a time.
This year, the mission is doubling its capacity.
“We’re going to open two sprung structures with a capacity around 200,” Didline said.
The new effort, called the Winter Crisis Shelter Project, is designed to meet the rising demand.
“Out of everything that we do, to me there’s nothing that rips out my heart more than seeing a kid in the warming center,” Didline said. “That’s because, they’re coming in at night and it’s raining and it’s wet and it’s dark outside and you know, they have to stay at some place, which admittedly isn’t the nicest place.”
Still, the shelter provides safety, warmth, and a place to escape the cold.
“It really has become Fresno’s last place of last resort. So, when every other shelter is closed and you’re facing a night on the street or sleeping in your car with your kids, this is what the warming center provides,” Didline said.
The shelter is located on G Street near Golden State Boulevard, and doors open nightly at 7 p.m.
Didline said there are currently 180 families on the waiting list.
It’s the largest number the mission has ever seen. Operating the shelter costs about $2,500 a night for 200 beds, which comes out to roughly $14 per bed.
Thanks to community donations, the mission has reached the halfway point toward funding the full season.
They still welcome donations and volunteers to help meet the growing need.