AMHERST – Tents and sleeping bags will soon be in high demand for the town’s homeless people, as the seasonal shelter closes after guests are served breakfast Sunday morning.
To assist those people without homes, including those who have been staying at the 22-bed Craig’s Place shelter at the First Baptist Church, the Amherst Survival Center is soliciting donations of tents and sleeping bags that it can distribute.
Executive Director Mindy Domb said the center, at 138 Sunderland Road, gave out around 50 tents and 57 sleeping bags in spring 2015, and anticipates similar demand at its community store in the coming weeks.
“I know we currently have 14 people on a waiting list for tents and another five for sleeping bags,” Domb said, adding that she is not sure how many will be sleeping outside in the Amherst area.
Domb said she hopes people can donate either gently used or new two- and three-person tents.
Craig’s Doors Executive Director Rebekah Wilder said many of the guests at the shelter already have tents or will be able to access the necessary equipment, but she worries for those new to homelessness.
“There are some guests who became homeless for the first time this year,” Wilder said. “Many of these individuals do not know yet where they are going to stay the night.”
Some are seeking apartments and others are trying to get into programs, such as the Grove Street Inn in Northampton, the only year-round shelter in Hampshire Country, or another shelter in the region.
Another option is staying with acquaintances, though this is less likely, Wilder said.
“A few will be able to couch surf, however most of them have already used up their welcome at friends’ houses over the winter,” Wilder said.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
