ROOM AT THE INN

Room at the Inn

During frigid temperatures, at-risk Randolph County citizens have few places to escape the weather during the evening.

St. Vincent de Paul of St. Pius X Church and United Way of Randolph County started working on a plan for our community. We based our warming shelter on similar programs in Nashville, Memphis, and Columbia, MO, We would work with area churches to provide a warming shelter overnight. Churches would take turns opening their doors to at-risk community members.

Check out the FAQs for more information.

UWRC and St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Pius X have been joined by Randolph County Caring Communities, University of Missouri Extension, The Salvation Army, NECAC, and the Randolph County Ministerial Alliance.

On September 8, 2020 the City Council for the city of Moberly approved a city ordinance that would allow for a warming center to operate within the city limits. Warming shelters still have to apply and be approved by Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council before they can open their doors to the community. We are still in the process of gaining approval from City of Moberly Planning and Zoning Commission.

Committees are working on the final details on the handbook and training for volunteers. Room at the Inn has to have enough volunteers to operate.

FAQs

What is the mission of the temporary shelter?
The mission is very simple. To provide a warm, safe place to sleep overnight.

How can I help?

Volunteer! We will need volunteers to help guests for each night we are open. Does your church, bow hunting group, or other fabulous group want to help? Check out our group form!

How long will the temporary shelter be open?
The outcome will be determined by the committee, but the short answer is only during frigid temperatures, sometime between late November to early March. We may ultimately decide the shelter is only available when the weather is forecasted to a certain wind chill or temperature.

Where will the shelter be located?
Ideally, the temporary shelter would re-locate on a rotating basis between willing church locations in and around Moberly. Currently, only one church is eligible under the current city guidelines for planning and zoning. We are working with city officials to determine if this can change.

What are the hours of operation?
The final determination will be made by the committee, but loosely, between 7 PM and 7 AM each day.

What kind of staffing will be required?
Ideally one or two women and two men for each shift. We are thinking two six hours shifts per night, so a total of 6-8 people per night.

Are you prepared for folks with special needs, either mental or physical?
Each volunteer will go through special training provided by the Salvation Army to feel equipped to deal with a variety of potential situations.

How will you keep someone from drinking alcohol or doing drugs while in the shelter?
As a stipulation of their stay in the shelter, the guests will relinquish all personal possessions to the staff to be kept in a locked room for the duration. If they need personal items, a staff member will supervise them in retrieving said item(s).

Will the guests be allowed to come and go?
The guests will be allowed one smoke break before “lights out” and will not be allowed to return if they choose to leave shelter. Their cooperation will determine future eligibility of shelter on another night.

What if the guest causes trouble?
Any guest that causes undue stress to other guests or volunteer staff will be ineligible to be hosted a t the shelter for at least 30 days, or more based on the severity of the confrontation.

Will you provide food for the guests?
The mission of the shelter is to provide a warm, safe place to sleep. We may provide a protein bar, bottled water or fruit at check-in or check-out, but food will be a very small part of the mission in order to keep the temporary shelter manageable.

Volunteer Survey

Group Volunteer Sign Up

Volunteer Sign Up