PROVO, Utah — Utah County’s winter response team is calling for more volunteer help through the holiday period as the chill of winter finally sets in.
A mild winter to this point may be contributing to smaller numbers of people turning up to their county warming center.
“I mean, I grew up and it was always cold! We just aren’t seeing that this year,” said Kena Mathews, the housing director for Community Action Services & Food Bank (CASFB) in Provo. “Last year, we averaged about 77 [people] per night. This year, we’re averaging about 60 per night.”
There have also been changes to the program’s safety protocols that have mandated on-site security and bag checks at the door. While they’re open nightly from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m, they also now have a curfew of 11 p.m. for their guests.
But Mathews says their first Code Blue days of the year arrived this past weekend, which is likely to lead more people to 2615 S. State Street.
“There’s a lot going on here, and it feels good to help those people,” said CASFB case manager Trace Combs.
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Combs was previously the overnight shift lead in the warming center, and he’s worked diligently to help find a new path forward for others.
“We’ve saved 27 people since October of last year,” Combs said. “Off the streets, safe, housed.”
If you turn the clock back a little further, you'd see a move from Wisconsin to Utah gone horribly wrong.
“I thought I had a job lined up. I had some money saved up for an apartment… and the job fell through,” said Combs. “I found myself here, sleeping on the streets in Provo.”
You can see why this line of work has become Combs' way of life.
“I was sleeping here in the center right alongside them,” Combs said. “If I can do it, they can as well.”
Tales like Combs' now line the walls within the center, hoping to inspire others who take shelter here. But CASFB staff members say they need your help to create more of these success stories.
“During the course of last season, there were over 600 individual people who came to volunteer here,” Combs said, which matched the number of unique clients they hosted.
Volunteer support is often abundant — but over these next couple of weeks, it won’t necessarily be around.
“We rely heavily on BYU and UVU, and so when there’s holidays, our volunteer base definitely goes down,” Mathews said.
They need more community members to support others who may be one helping hand away from turning a corner in their lives.
“It’s my opinion that if Christ were to walk the earth today, he would be helping people in this situation,” said Combs.
CASFB says they’re also in need of blanket donations to keep people warm this winter. If you’re interested in volunteering or donating, you can visit their website to learn more.
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