Egan Warming Center wrapped up its season last month. The program, run by Saint Vincent de Paul, offers shelter for people in the Eugene-Springfield area who are homeless on nights that get below freezing.
NJ Sevitz-Poarch is Homeless & Shelter Services Emergency Response Manager for St. Vinnies. She takes over from Tim Black, who was in that position for five years.
Sevitz-Poarch started as a volunteer for Egan. She told KLCC volunteers are the cornerstone of the program and they’re always looking for more. She said it’s rewarding.
“But sometimes it gets hard,” she said. “Especially when you’re there night after night after night. But it’s wonderful to see the volunteers who have these great attitudes. Because our goal is the same. We all want to help our most vulnerable neighbors.”
Sevitz-Poarch said Egan offers more than a warm place to sleep. Guests have a meal and a spot to stash their belongings. And local musicians often play during the evening.
“It makes it a really warm environment.” she said. “Our guests are people too, and they have stories just like everybody else does. And it's nice that they can feel a part of a group.”
Sevitz-Poarch said they provide a quiet space for people to sleep and snacks during the night.
In the morning, the guests are gently woken and fed breakfast. Many sites send guests off with bagged lunches.
Egan Warming Centers offers shuttle services to and from many of their sites.
The program has lost its main site in Springfield—the Memorial Building—and the Trinity Church at 440 Maxwell in Eugene. They’re seeking facilities to replace those locations.
The Egan Warming Centers were open 25 nights over this last season, which ran from November to March. Their longest continuous activation was 13 nights.
“It was grueling,” Sevitz-Poarch said. “People were very, very tired. We were all a little giddy at the end. But we made it. And volunteers were wonderful.”
She said they’re always looking for new volunteers. Egan will present several volunteer orientations this summer.
Anyone interested can visit www.eganwarmingcenters.org.
