Glade Run Lutheran Services will again operate an overnight warming center at 123 E. Diamond St. this winter, and it is opening more than a month earlier than it did last year, on Monday, Oct. 30.

According to Steven Green, president and CEO of Glade Run Lutheran Services, Butler County asked the organization to host a center where people could get warm and also get information on permanent housing while there.

“The county approached us because there was a need for a center to prepare people for the next step in terms of securing stable housing,” Green said. “A case worker being there every morning from a service provider to help people navigate was so helpful.”

Last year, the center served more than 50 different clients from December to the end of March, and many of them transitioned into permanent housing with help from a case worker. The center requires a voucher to enter, according to a flyer from Glade Run.

Green said Glade Run hires people to work in the center overnight, because getting volunteers to staff the 10-hour shift was too difficult, because it starts before the center’s 10 p.m. opening and lasts until after its 8 a.m. closing.

“We couldn't risk volunteers not showing up and not doing what we expected, so we decided the best route was to have paid staff,” Green said. “We’re paying $15 to $20 an hour for a 10-hour shift.”

While the center is open for anyone who needs a place to go at night for warmth and shelter, Green said the other goal of the warming center is to set people up with case workers, who come to the shelter each morning.

Green said that last year some people did not want help from a case worker, but many others did. Case workers who visit the center are from local organizations like Catholic Charities and the Center for Community Resources, and they last year helped clients find housing, food security and jobs.

“Stays varied significantly based on willingness to follow through with case worker supports and recommendations,” Green said. “That's the goal of that case worker to try to convince them to follow through and take advantage of the resources we have here.”

For more information on the warming center, visit gladerun.org.