Merced Rescue Mission has a new warming shelter, may be a permanent solution

The Merced County Rescue Mission has a new warming shelter that leaders hope will be a lasting solution to a yearly problem.

The mission is teaming with DayOut Adult ADHC Center in Merced to provide respite on nights below 40 degrees or during inclement weather, according to Phil Schmauss, director of marketing for the mission.

The center, which is on Merced Avenue, operates during the day as a rehabilitation center for adults living with disabilities, including physical, cognitive and mental impairments, according to its website.

Schmauss said the mission and center have entered into an agreement that opens the center when necessary to provide shelter. “Really, we see this as the answer to this community having a warming center,” he said. “No more tents. No more churches. No more having to relocate it.”

Under the agreement, he said, those seeking shelter must first check in after 6 p.m. at the Rescue Mission, 1920 Canal St., where staff will find a spot for them or decide to caravan the shelter-seekers to the warming shelter.

Those looking for shelter should not line up outside the DayOut Center. “We have very strict hours and a strict partnership,” Schmauss said.

In recent years, the mission has used a tarp tent filled with space heaters as a shelter. Mission leaders have said the tent remained relatively cold, so it got little use. “If we pull this off correctly, the DayOut Center is willing to partner with us (in the future),” he said.

The facility has a shower for “emergencies,” he said, and also offers space for men, women and families. The shelter can also be opened if the D Street Shelter and the mission are full on any given night, he said.

The warming shelter has been operating since Dec. 1 and will stay available through March, Schmauss said. For more information, call the mission at 209-722-9269.

This story was originally published December 20, 2016 at 4:30 PM with the headline "Merced Rescue Mission has a new warming shelter, may be a permanent solution."