Cold weather shelter open at Aberdeen Senior Center

A temporary cold weather shelter opened Sunday at the Aberdeen Senior Center at 208 West Market Street.

It’s part of a collaborative, communitywide effort to provide cold weather shelter for those without other options, according to a statement from the Coastal Community Action Program (CCAP).

The senior center will serve as a temporary location until another location is secured; those seeking shelter should use the alley entrance. The shelter will be open through the end of March, between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. seven days a week. Grays Harbor Public Health will update their website with the current location of shelter operations at http://www.healthygh.org/news.

Shelter access is not contingent on sobriety, and participation in services of any kind is voluntary. It will serve adults 18 and over, of all genders, as space and volunteer capacity allows. Shelter rules will be focused on safety for guests and staff; the wearing of masks and social distancing are mandatory.

Volunteers and supplies are needed. Interested volunteers should contact Jeff Simmons at jeffs@coastalcap.org or 360-660-5056. Donations of non-perishable foods, hygiene items, socks, coffee supplies, or bottled water may be dropped off at Coastal Community Action Program at 101 East Market Street during business hours or brought to the shelter when in operation.

In late September, the county entered into contracts with Chaplains on the Harbor and CCAP to operate two cold weather shelters between Nov. 1 and March 31, one in Aberdeen and one in Westport. A location in Westport has not yet been announced.