WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — When the holiday season hits this year, a cold snap will be coming with it. With that in mind, Central Georgia shelters are opening for guests to come in and stay this weekend.
Pastor Vince Harrington says he is opening his church in Warner Robins to be a shelter for people during the cold, Friday through Tuesday.
No Limit Baptist church will have 'no limit' when it comes to people needing a place to stay.
“We were telling everybody, 'We are going to partner with the city, and we are going to have a warming center,'" Harrington said. "We were purchasing the building - we hadn't even purchased it - when God woke me up and said, 'My people are cold.'"
He says they purchased the building and partnered with the city.
Now, they say they welcome people to their church to stay warm. This Friday through Tuesday, people can stay in the fellowship hall where there will be warm meals and drinks and clothing.
They say if it gets too crowded, they will let people stay in the sanctuary.
“We don't call them homeless, because we realize life has put you down and life has told you what you're not,” he said.
Harrington says he wants these people to see their worth.
Macon is also preparing for the cold. They will have the Hello House at Brookdale Center and the Salvation Army shelter available for those looking to get out of the cold.
Reverend Dr. Jake Hall oversees the United Way homeless program in Macon.
He says they have been preparing for the cold and right now they are not opening additional shelters.
“At the present, all of our shelters have the capacity that we need to meet the demand that we anticipate through this holiday weekend,” he said.
The Macon shelters are also offering meals, beds and clothing.
The Hello House opens at 4 p.m. and closes at 8 a.m. each day.
“Our entire shelter system is built around a harm reduction strategy that ensures that people have what they need, not just to survive cold weather, but have the opportunity to connect to a system of housing,” he said.