More than 3,100 People Stayed at Chelsea’s Warming Center This Season
Dear Editor,
For those who don’t know me, my name is Nina and I write The Chelsea Scoop, a blog about what is discussed during Chelsea’s City Council and Zoning Board of Appeals meetings. Today, though, I am sharing an important update regarding our community’s effort to keep a vulnerable population safe.
This past January, the City of Chelsea, in a regional partnership with Revere officially opened its first-ever regional emergency warming center to provide overnight shelter for adults who are experiencing homelessness. The center, located at the SELAH Day Resource Center (Luz de Cristo Church at 738 Broadway), has been open every night since then from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. seven nights a week, offering a hot meal and a safe place to rest for those in need.
In just two and a half months, the center has served about 3,120 people. Although winter is coming to a close, I am asking the Chelsea community to help raise awareness of this critical safety net. In the future, if you see someone struggling with homelessness and in need of a safe refuge from the extreme conditions of the winter weather, please let them know that a warm environment is available on Broadway. People in need of shelter may not be on social media, or checking the city’s websites. Sometimes, the only way news reaches a neighbor in need is through conversation.
For more details about the warming center, or to learn about more resources like this, call Chelsea’s Director of Health & Human Services, Tracy Nowicki, at 781-484-6402. Let’s make sure everyone in Chelsea stays safe and cared for during the rest of the season and our future cold seasons.
Sincerely,
Nina Lee