Photo by Nancy Royden. Jasmine Gallion and Xemena Jones, both students at the Judith P. Hoyer Montessori and Early Childhood Center in Cheverly, don scarves they and other students from the school donated to the Prince George’s County Hypothermia Program, Warm Nights.

Published on: Tuesday, February 02, 2010

By Nancy Royden

Local houses of worship have opened their doors to Prince George’s County’s homeless during cold weather for two decades through the Warm Nights program, and volunteer Sharon Harley said she is happy to help at her Glenn Dale-based church.

“It’s a pleasure,” Harley said after speaking with program participants on a recent night at Reid Temple African Methodist Episcopal Church. “This particular charity, I think it’s one of the best.”

Timothy Jansen, executive director of Community Crisis Services Inc., said the program has existed for 20 years, and this is the fourth year his organization has been involved with it.

Photo by Nancy Royden. Timothy Jansen, executive director of Community Crisis Services Inc., accepts scarves from students.

Jansen recently accepted scarves from students at the Judith P. Hoyer Montessori and Early Childhood Center in Cheverly during a recent Winter Program that featured musical presentations. The scarves were donated to clients of the county's Warm Nights Program.

First organized by churches and also funded by Prince George’s County, the Warm Nights program operates from mid-November to March.

Another key factor Harley likes about working with the participants is the ability to nurture them in more ways than one.

“Not only is your physical body being fed, but your spiritual body, too,” she said.

As the temperature dropped last week, people were warm inside Reid Temple AME Church, where Harley prayed with everyone and expressed gratitude to God.

Jansen said there are now several participating houses of worship, and members prepare food to serve for dinner and breakfast. At times, churches and temples opt to have the food catered.

Some of the churches that have recently hosted participants of the program include the Paint Branch Unitarian Universalist Church in Adelphi, the First Baptist Church of Glenarden and Mount Calvary Catholic Church in Forestville. There are 38 congregations of many types participating, Jansen said.

“Year to year, there are people who are genuinely able to help,” he said. “When you talk to clients, it really makes you value what you’ve got.”

Minister Christopher Thorne of New Hope Baptist Church in Landover last week visited Reid Temple AME Church to see how the Warm Nights program is operated. He said his church is interested in becoming a participating church as well.

Richard Landon, who is active with the Knights of Columbus and Mount Calvary Catholic Church in Forestville said Bernadette “Bunny” Stradford and others at the church recently worked very hard to make the Warm Nights program participants feel welcome at the church.

Landon said the IHOP restaurant in Forestville donates breakfast food for the program.

“Mr. Coombs has IHOP provide delicious, free breakfast meals every morning. They include coffee, and they vary from, and include, scrambled eggs, French toast, hash browns, pancakes and grits, I believe, and more. Apparently, he has been doing this for all nine years in which Mount Calvary has hosted the Warm Nights,” he said.

Landon said a Forestville area fitness facility offered shower facilities for participants to use and food has also been donated by Charlie’s Restaurant in District Heights and Mainland Chinese Restaurant in Forestville.

Participants are offered transportation by commuter vans to the different Warm Nights sites. Stops include Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority stations in New Carrollton, College Park and on Addison Road in Capitol Heights.

Jansen said many of the participants arrive at the sites without using a van, but some have no other way to get to the sites.

Last week at Reid Temple, church members sang with the participants and offered them words of encouragement. Jansen said sometimes people not only eat the meals provided for them; they stay and enjoy the various types of entertainment or lessons shared.

In two rooms at the church, participants slept. Jansen said it is the goal to separate the men from women, but sometimes it cannot be done. The ability to separate them depends on the size and layout of the facility where the program is being held. The “lights out” time is 10 p.m.

Sometimes houses of worship have clothing and toiletries available for the participants.

“They need all kinds of little things, such as Metro cards for medical appointments and brand new underwear and socks,” Jansen said.

Jansen said he works closely with the Prince George’s County Public Schools’ homeless student population to provide them services they need.

The good news is the number of participants in the Warm Nights program is down slightly from last year, but the number of children is higher than it has ever been.

“Last year, we had 48 kids,” he said.

Jansen’s agency employees can help people find shelter placement and long-term housing as well. They can help them with information and referral for substance abuse services, including those provided by Prince George’s County.

Some of the Warm Nights participants stay in the Warm Nights program for only a brief time, while others stay longer. He said Warm Nights is the only hypothermia program serving families that he is aware of in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

There are all types of ways people find themselves needing a program such as Warm Nights. Jansen said the cost of housing, a job loss, losing a house due to financial reasons are examples.

According to information provided by the office of Rep. Donna F. Edwards, D-Fort Washington, more than 15 percent of Maryland households reported not having enough money to buy the food they needed at some point in the past 12 months.

Like Jansen, Harley said she and her family have also faced many struggles – some medically related – and it is a wonderful thing to help other people come to the safe place at her church.

“It gives you hope. We want them to leave here with hope,” she said. “It’s wonderful. You put a smile on their face and it makes you feel good. That’s what Christianity is, it’s taking care of one another.”