Fern Ridge Area Warming Center (FRWC) Proposal
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Martin Luther King Jr.
Purpose of the Proposal: The Fern Ridge Ministerial Association, in partnership with the Egan Warming Center through St.
Vincent De Paul, and the City of Veneta, propose to open and facilitate a volunteer coordinated warming center at the Veneta
Community Center.
History:
Pat Coy and Junie Gangle began to discuss the possibility of opening a warming center in November 2009. After a few
discussions, Mr. Coy discussed the possibility of utilizing the Veneta Community Center as a possible warming center site, with
Ric Ingham, City of Veneta City Administrator. At that date, no more was decided.
Ms. Gangle contacted Sophia McDonald at St. Vincent De Paul at the end of August, 2010, and Ms. McDonald suggested that Ms.
Gangle speak with Dave Robertson of Free People Ministry of Eugene, a lead Egan Warming Center coordinator. Mr. Robertson
and Ms. Gangle have been discussing how the Egan Warming Center coalition could help the Fern Ridge Area Warming Center
become established.
Pastors and leaders of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, Veneta Alliance Church, Olivet Baptist Church, Fernridge Faith
Center, Valley United Methodist Church, Mr. Ingham, and Mr. Robertson met Wednesday, November 3rd to discuss how to
proceed. Agreement was unanimous that this is a valuable service that should be provided in the community and a proposal
made to the City Council to utilize the Veneta Community Center. This brings us to date.
What is the Egan Warming Center (EWC)? It is a coalition of community members representing service providers,
nonprofits, faith based social activist communities and local government who have come together to ensure that homeless
people have shelter during extreme cold weather. Named in honor of Major Thomas Egan, a kindly gentleman who froze to
death during a cold spell in 2008, the Warming Center mission is simple: to ensure that homeless people in Lane County have a
place to sleep indoors when temperatures drop to 28 degrees or below between November 15th and March 31st. The Egan
Warming Center is being administered by St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP).
General Assumptions
An extreme weather event, given the number of homeless in the Eugene- Springfield metro area, will likely overwhelm the
capacity of existing agencies serving the homeless. Without sufficient planning and allocation of resources, including the
creation of extra shelter capacity, the result could be sub-standard shelter or no shelter at all for homeless persons. FRWC
exists to create that extra capacity and to coordinate planning and resource allocation before a night of extreme cold.
FRWC will have a clear decision making structure for volunteers and staff, including a designated person at each site who will
make final decisions about operational issues and the removal of a guest if necessary. Volunteers and staff have clearly defined
roles with varying levels of responsibility and will have been given the appropriate training to do those roles well and with
confidence. Clear guidelines are present for all aspects of FRWC operations including: check-in, health and safety, set-up and
use of space, caring for persons in physical or mental distress, etc.
When Does the Warning Center Operate?
The EWC Operations Coordinator and team monitor the weather and determine when an extreme weather event is imminent.
The EWC Operations Coordinator consults with Joseph Cultberth of KEZI news to determine if the weather has become
extreme and make final decisions regarding activation. The EWC Operations Coordinator initiates communication with staff
and volunteers, including FRWC Operation Coordinator, as per the following Alerts checklist.