The Struggles Of Operating a Homeless Shelter
Not having somewhere warm this winter is a reality that is facing some people in Erie.
We've heard of concerns about the conditions inside one of those places to help people.
Erie News Now received a tip of problems with water and heat inside The Upper Room of Erie. The shelter operates out of Saint Paul’s Church on Peach St. in Erie.
Chuck Nelson, the president of the shelter’s board, said there have been ongoing problems with heat and water in the building.
These issues were fixed after Erie News Now looked into them.
In a building as old as the church, these kinds of problems can be expected, Nelson said.
“The facilities are not optimal,” he said. “We would love to find something that was handicap accessible and better in the same footprint to serve this community but right now we’re serving them the best we can.”
Erie News Now also got pictures of what appeared to be a dark substance on some of the walls. Nelson said he wasn’t aware of the spots when shown the photos.
“We have staff that takes care of the facilities so I’m not always up to speed on where there might be particular issues,” he said. “It gets to be a mess when you’re working with the clients that we work with so it’s not always kept up with in the most timely manners.”
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