As Montana rounds into what is expected to be a long, cold winter, the Flathead Warming Center is quickly working to establish a temporary location at Faith Lutheran Church in Kalispell, with hopes to be moved into a separate, permanent building soon after.

This will be the second season the low barrier homeless shelter will open to those in-need, providing a warm and safe place for the valley’s unhoused individuals during Flathead County’s coldest months.

Last year, the warming center operated at Christ Episcopal Church in Kalispell, where staff and volunteers were able to serve approximately 20 individuals at a time. But beginning Nov. 20, the temporary shelter will be located at Faith Lutheran Church instead, where up to 40 people can stay from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.

“The other church was great and we consider them family, but unfortunately it was a smaller space so we had to turn people away every night,” Flathead Warming Center Executive Director Tonya Horn said. “Faith Church has been very gracious in allowing us to host temporarily.”

According to Horn, the Flathead Warming Center may only remain at Faith Lutheran Church for about one month. She has ambitious plans to be moved into the center’s permanent facility at 889 North Meridian Road by Christmas.

The site was formerly an automotive repair shop. And Horn cleared a major hurdle last week when the Kalispell City Council unanimously approved a zoning change and conditional-use permit for the warming center to operate in the building.

Over the past several months, shelter officials have been working closely with residents and businesses in the area, some of whom have been skeptical about a low barrier homeless shelter being erected in their neighborhood. While the majority of folks have come around to the idea, she said she understands the Flathead Warming Center will have to work to earn the community’s trust for the long-term.

“Early on, we understood wherever the Warming Center is, we have to be a good neighbor. It’s all about being a good neighbor, having good communication and being responsive to neighbors’ concerns,” Horn said. “We want folks to understand that we aren’t introducing homelessness. It’s already there. What we are doing is introducing community to the homelesness.”

After a thorough search, Horn said the North Meridian Road location is one of the best places in Kalispell to establish permanent roots in the community.

Among other attractive qualities, the building is spacious and has an open floor plan, which is required in order for staff to safely watch over guests at all times, and it sits in close proximity to other valuable Flathead County resources. The building is located near Kalispell Regional Medical Center, Pathways Treatment Center, the Kalispell Veteran Center, Gateway Community Center and more.

“All of those things are important factors that we considered, so we feel like this location is one of the best and most responsible locations for our services in the Flathead,” Horn said.

BUT THERE is one necessity the Flathead Warming Center is missing: a robust volunteer force.

A few days before Christmas 2019, Horn said about 30 individuals had completed their mandatory six-hour training and contributed significantly to the shelter being able to open by the holidays. This year, however, she said fewer people have signed up to volunteer — something she contributes primarily to fears surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I understand why people would be nervous to come on during this time, but we will have a lot of COVID precautions in place for everyone. We hope that will ease some minds,” Horn said.

Among other measures, masks will be required for staff, volunteers and overnight guests, symptom checks will be performed at the door prior to people entering the facility and beds and congregating areas will be spaced out for social distancing purposes.

Horn said ideally the center would like to take on enough people to have three volunteers per evening from 7 to 10 p.m., along with regular staff. That number of individuals would ensure the facility can provide for a full house of 40 people while seeing to it that COVID-19 protocols are followed.

“Volunteering is a very powerful experience,” Horn said. “We are really dealing with two emergencies here, COVID and winter. Some of the places that folks used to be able to congregate to get out of the cold, now they can’t because of the pandemic. So this shelter is even more critical this winter than it was last year.”

A training session for future volunteers is scheduled to take place this Saturday, though no specific time has been set.

For those interested in volunteering, reach out to Anne Miller at 406-270-9055. For those interested in making a financial donation to the center and its efforts, contributions can be sent to Flathead Warming Center, P.O Box 7142, Kalispell, MT 59904.

Reporter Kianna Gardner can be reached at 758-4407 or kgardner@dailyinterlake.com