As freezing temperatures continue, Egan Warming Centers planned to open the doors again Monday in the Eugene/Springfield area, but some locations are dependent on getting more volunteers.

While there is a lot of support from the community to host the warming centers, and food provided by Food for Lane County, Tim Black, the Winter Strategies and Emergency Response Coordinator for Saint Vincent De Paul, says it’s the volunteers that make it run.

Black says four days of activation is a drain on the people who volunteer consistently.

“It’s the same people who kind of come every single night,” said Black. “We get some people that come and go, that is not sustainable. Here we are, this is going to be night three of what could be four nights, and it gets tougher because people are tired, and they need a break."

Before the pandemic, there were roughly nine small locations spread throughout town. Now, there are fewer locations with more guests, meaning more volunteers are needed to run each location.

Black says with larger crowds, there can be more issues. “It’s getting harder, there’s more trauma because of COVID, because of whatever, because of fentanyl, and we are seeing more behavioral issues recently than we have in years past; it was easier when we had more and smaller sites.”

Black says the low-barrier shelter is a last option for people in the community to have a warm place to stay. They are committed to their mission to help save lives, but they need more people in the community to help.

There are multiple shifts available. To sign up, click here.