Erie Warming Center Grant Proposal
For
The Mental Health Association of Northwestern PA
Proposed by:
Jordan Pisano, Adam Gill, and Chris Hoffman
Problem Statement
Erie's winters are amongst the coldest, harshest winters around, with the lake effect
snow, and temperatures reaching well below freezing every night. It was not until the recent
opening of the Erie warming centers, that the homeless people of Erie had a place to go during
frigid nights. These centers provide, warm and safe environments, for people who have lost
their power or who are homeless, provided there exist the financial support to keep these
necessary shelters open. Last year the warming centers ran out of funding half-way through the
winter, almost forcing the shelters to close down permanently. Thanks to a small group of
service providers and organizations the shelters received generous donations to sustain 20
more nights of operation. The need for these shelters is growing, and unfortunately the
willingness of organizations to give is on the decline. Current economic desperation is causing
more and more people to lose their jobs, thereby forcing more people into the streets. We are
seeking monetary support to add quality to the lives of those individuals struck by these
hardships. Our goal is to obtain $36,000 in financial support, to ensure the life and sustainability
of the warming shelters. We wish to first ensure that the shelters will remain open throughout
the winter season, and implement a solution to reduce the cost of heating, the main source of
financial burden, by means of constructing a high efficiency geothermal heating system. This
system is capable of reducing subsequent seasonal operational costs by up to 70%.
Background Information
The Erie warming center we propose to support is the largest and most centrally located. It is
located on the corner of 11th and Peach Street and is open from 7:00 pm to 11:00 am. The center is open
to all that are in need of a warm place to stay during the night; however, it is not financially feasible for
the warming center to be open every night of the winter season. Operations of the warming shelters
have been restricted only until the combined temperature and wind-chill fall below 20 degrees
Fahrenheit. Last year the warming shelter served up to 70 people a night during some of the colder
nights of the winter. The warming centers cost is approximately $500 a night, that money goes towards
food, utilities and staffing.
This year we do not want the warming center to run into the same problem it faced last year by
having to close due to insufficient funding. With the center serving up to 70 people a night and the
unemployment rate being higher than it’s ever been, the center cannot afford to shut down. The
unemployment rate in Erie is at 9.2% that is up over 4% since last September. With the nation’s
unemployment rate nearing 10%, Erie’s unemployment rate is among the highest in the whole nation.
Below is graph showing the unemployment rate in Erie, PA for the last ten years.
UNEMPLOYMENT TOTALS FOR ERIE-SOURCE PA.GOV
These increasing numbers are causing more and more people to lose their jobs every single day.
Unfortunately some of the residence of Erie cannot afford to pay their bills resulting in the inability to
heat their homes throughout the winter. It is even worse to say that some of the families are getting
kicked out of their homes and forced to live in the streets. The least we can do for these families is to
ensure they have a safe and warm place to stay.
Goals
Our primary goal is to ensure that the Peach street warming center will be able to
remain open during the upcoming winter season. If this center cannot stay open the people of
Erie will have no where else to go. It is the only shelter of its capacity, and kind. This is yet
another vital reason why it cannot close after just being open 10 days. $15,000 of the money
we seek will ensure that the warming center will be opened at least 25 additional nights for the
current season. The shelter is directly run through the Mental Health Association of
Northwestern PA (MHA), and the money will go directly to them to ensure that they will be able
to cover the cost of shelter heating. The cost of running the shelter includes food, staffing, and
a laundry service for the cots, with a majority of the money going to the utilities to heat the
shelter for each night.
Our second goal is to ensure sustainability of the shelter and to drastically reduce
operating costs for the future. To accomplish this we plan to install a geothermal heating
system. The construction and contracted services to install the geothermal pump will be about
$7,500, in addition to about $10,000 for the pump itself. Geothermal heating systems can
lower the cost of heating by 30-70%, and pay for themselves in as little as 3-10 years. By
installing this new heating system, the center could lower their nightly operating cost to as little
as 150$ per night. This would allow the yearly cost of the center to drop from $15,000 to
around $4,500.
LEFT- A Diagram of how the
geothermal heating system works.
Image Credit to:
www.Carrier.com/Geothermal
Our final goal is to provide the center with $1000 for supplies of food and winter
clothing. This money will be used to obtain the supplies only when donations are not available
or adequate. The food will consist of canned goods and other nonperishable items that will stay
good even if the schedule of the warming center is unknown. The MHA already has the
equipment necessary to prepare such foods and the grant will cover the expenses in running
this equipment. Some other amenities that we would like to provide are such things as coffee,
hot chocolate, hats, gloves and other such items that are rather inexpensive and we can gain
through donations. The last thing the grant will cover is providing more sleeping arrangements
for all the potential guests. The MHA does not have enough beds for everyone that comes into
the center resulting in people sleeping on the floor. The money will go to supplying more cots,
pillows and blankets. Hopefully the funding will be adequate in getting the shelter through
those cold nights. If the shelter does run out of funding like it did last year, the MHA will again
reach out through the community and ask for donations to continue providing a safe and
secure environment for all.
Evaluation Metrics
To ensure that the grant money is going to good use, we want to provide a survey
throughout the winter that will judge how well the shelter is being run. The survey will have
questions on it such as:

What do you like about the shelter?

What do you dislike about the shelter?

How does the shelter compare to last year?

Any suggestions to improving the Erie Warming Center?
Also with these questions we will keep a count of how many people stay at the shelter each
night. Our final evaluation, after the installation of the geothermal heating pump, will be to
calculate the nightly cost of running the warming center. With theses evaluation tools we will
be able to make sure that the grant money will be going to good use and give us valuable
information on the winters to come.
Budget
Items
Requested Amount From ECF
$
0.00
$
0.00
$
0.00
$
0.00
$
0.00
$
0.00
$
0.00
$
5,000.00
$
0.00
$
0.00
$
5,000.00
$
10,000.00
$
0.00
$
5,000.00
$
15,000.00
$
1,000.00
$
0.00
$
0.00
$
1,000.00
$
2,500.00
$
0.00
$
0.00
$
2,500.00
$
17,500.00
$
0.00
$
0.00
$
17,500.00
$
36,000.00
$
0.00
$
5,000.00
$
41,000.00
Supplies:<$1,000
Contracted
Services:
Other:
(i.e.,outside
evaluation)
TOTAL:
Total Program Cost
0.00
Personnel Fringe:
Equipment:>$1,000
Other Agency or Funder
Contribution
(in-kind or cash)
Include Source
$
Personnel:
Construction:
Your Agency
Contribution
We seek $20,000 to facilitate the construction of the geothermal heating system. The cost
break down is as follows:
Construction fees - $5,000.
Materials (pump, pipe, HVACs conversion) - $10,000.
Code inspection and construction permits - $2,500.
Additionally we seek another $16,000 to ensure pure financial backing to sustain the shelters
this current winter season. Current nightly operational costs are exactly $500 per night, and
expected to rise as utilities costs fluctuate.
It is important to note that 30% of the geothermal systems implementation cost, will be
returned as a tax credit, and this money will be returned for exclusive use of shelter operations.
Conclusions
It is easy to overlook such basic and vital elements, such as a warm place to sleep at
night. Sadly for many, this is far from a guarantee. The Erie warming shelter, run by the MHA,
provides a niche service, all other comparable shelter in act curfews which often force “tardy”
individuals, an unwelcomed and potentially fatal stay out in the cold. However the MHA shelter
does not have such curfews, people are permitted to come and go as they please. Warm words
and a warm place to rest may often be all that is required to save a life.
The number of volunteers for this project is touching, but donations of food and clothes are not
enough to sustain the operation. This program was started out of the kindness of the
community, and has already demonstrated its viability. We now seek to make this program self
sustaining, and remove a substantial portion of operation costs. Through the generosity and
consideration of community services and organizations, such as the ECF, this goal will be made
possible. The need for such funding continues to grow as our research predicts more families
and individuals, forced to brave frigid nights through lost jobs, utility cost, etc…
A grant of $41,000 is a sound proof plan that will make certain that the Erie warming
center will continue to provide a safe and secure environment for all. The money will allow the
center to remain open for the current season, decrease operating costs for future seasons, and
provide supplies to those who need them. With financial support from the ECF, Erie’s warming
shelters can continue to improve the quality of life of those less fortunate. There remains the
opportunity to improve, protect, and sustain the health of those individuals from Erie’s
Community who have been forced from their homes. Not often can a pure financial investment
afford the improvement in health and quality of life for hundreds of individuals, but thanks to
volunteers, and organizations, this opportunity exists.