Homeless campers seek fuel to stay warm, Glory Hall reopens during daytime as sub-zero cold spell sets in
- Mark Sabbatini
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
Shelter grants ‘clean slate’ to nearly all people previously banned due to rule violations, executive director says
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
They’re still camping out in sub-zero conditions because of concerns about leaving their possessions unguarded and whether at least one member of the family might still be subject to restrictions on entering a shelter facility. Which means that while the usual day-to-day needs such as food still exist, their biggest need now is propane for the now-idle heaters at their tents.
"All the tanks that we had already, because how cold it got, we had to run them constantly," Alfred Torres Jr. said while standing outside one of several tents near the Brotherhood Bridge on Friday. "And we’re seeing it going from lasting like three days to one day."
Torres, a sibling, their mother and at least one other person at the encampment were grouped inside the large tarp-covered tent at midday, with a string of holiday lights outside the entrance leading to a nearby tree. He said the lights came from a friend and, when a working generator is available, they help provide light during Juneau’s shortest days of the year.
A cold-weather advisory is in effect until Monday, with low temperatures reaching several degrees below zero in parts of the Mendenhall Valley, according to the National Weather Service Juneau. A high-wind warning is also in effect, although that is expected to primarily affect downtown and Douglas, with the Valley getting strong breezes that will contribute to a wind chill of about minus 15°F.
While Torres’ family expressed concern about being able to seek daytime shelter, the Glory Hall reopened as of Tuesday for meals and other services to people who are not staying there overnight, said Kaia Quinto, the facility’s executive director, in an interview Friday afternoon.
"Everybody who comes needs to re-sign our code of conduct and other intake paperwork," she said. "And yesterday when I left we had filled out 79 intakes."
The Glory Hall is also now preparing about 100 meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner, compared to about 60 to 65 when daytime access was restricted, Quinto said.
The shelter cut off daytime access for non-residents in August due to safety concerns stemming from a large homeless encampment set up along Teal Street where the facility is located. But a new security entrance has been installed and Quinto said there is a "clean slate" for all people who previously were restricted from the facility — except for three specific individuals who assaulted staff.
"It's just been great," she said when asked how the resumption of daytime access has gone so far. "It doesn't have the chaotic energy of when the encampment was there."
The encampment was removed by police and other officials in mid-November just before the first significant snowstorm of the season, with city officials citing a need to keep streets and sidewalks clear of snow as the reason for the dismantling. Some of the people who were staying there are now regularly sleeping at the city’s cold-weather emergency shelter in Thane, while others are choosing to continue camping out at scattered sites around Juneau.
A winter encampment in a clearing across from Juneau International Airport was mostly empty at midday Friday, with Darian Bliss sitting outside one tent alone listening to music from a battery-operated speaker. He said his main concern right now is also getting more propane fuel for both warmth and so he can cook the food he has.
"Twenty-four bucks for one thing of propane and I could hook up my stove and cook, and it would dry out in there, and I'd be able to just get the food I need and I wouldn't have to be outside in the elements," he said.
Bliss and Torres said some people have come by at times with food and other helpful items, and that generally there haven’t been disruptions from police and intruders recently.
"A week ago there was somebody who lit some fireworks off at our tent right here," Torres said. "It sounded like gunshots coming outside of our tent and by time we got out here they were gone, so we don't know who did it. But the cops have actually just been trying to be helpful for a change instead of trying to kick us out of here. Their concern was just the trash."
A porta-potty, a place to put trash, and access to laundry and showers were among the main things people staying at the two campsites said they’d like to have, aside from fuel.
Torres said he spent Thursday night at the warming shelter in Thane, which is normally open from 9 p.m. to 6:45 a.m. daily. The shelter was open 24 hours a day for several days during a cold spell earlier this month, but is currently maintaining its normal schedule with the Glory Hall now open during the day, said Jennifer Skinner, executive director of St. Vincent de Paul Juneau, which operates the Thane facility.
The Glory Hall is offering some holiday activities during the coming days, including a holiday party Friday evening with a dinner prepared by Chapel By The Lake members, Quinto said. A Homeless Persons Memorial Day service — an observance marking the longest night of the year — is scheduled at 6 p.m. on Sunday. And local Rotary Club members have donated presents for people at the shelter on Christmas Day.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
