Need is up, donations down at Rochester shelter

Recent bitter cold temperatures and snow have put increased pressure on homeless shelters across the region and put available spaces at a premium, according to Susan Ford, executive director at the Homeless Shelter for Strafford County.

Ford said when space opens up at their 26-bed shelter on Rochester Neck Road, it’s almost always spoken for the same day.

Most troubling, she said, is that donations are off from last year, and the shelter depends on the generosity of area donors and volunteers to keep the place running.

Waste Management allows them rent-free shelter space and D.F. Richard Energy supplies the facility with free heating oil, but it still takes a lot of money to buy food supplies and pay for transportation so shelter occupants can get uptown to doctors appointments and other errands.

“Donations are going down, but the need is going up,” Ford said on Tuesday.

She said the shelter is usually full from when it opens in October until it closes in May, but the biting cold puts an increased sense of urgency in placements at hers and other shelters like My Friends Place in Dover and Crossroads in Portsmouth.

The Homeless Shelter for Strafford County, classified as a seasonal emergency shelter, serves families and women, Ford said.

It has a pantry for the occupants’ food needs and also serves two hot meals every week.

She said without the assistance of businesses like Waste Management and D.F. Richard Energy the task would be even more daunting.

If you would like to donate to the shelter go to http://www.homelesscenterforstraffco.org/donate.html.