FORT DODGE, Iowa —Even as overnight temperatures plunged into the double digits below zero, staff at the Beacon of Hope Men’s Shelter in Fort Dodge saw little change in the number of men seeking refuge from the cold.Director Dan Bidleman expected a busier night given the dangerous conditions.“We figured last night we would be a little busier, because we are not at capacity. We have room,” Bidleman said.Bidleman said he is frustrated and saddened that bitter cold alone is no...
FORT DODGE, Iowa —
Even as overnight temperatures plunged into the double digits below zero, staff at the Beacon of Hope Men’s Shelter in Fort Dodge saw little change in the number of men seeking refuge from the cold.
Director Dan Bidleman expected a busier night given the dangerous conditions.
“We figured last night we would be a little busier, because we are not at capacity. We have room,” Bidleman said.
Bidleman said he is frustrated and saddened that bitter cold alone is not enough to draw more people inside. He believes addiction and mental health struggles often keep men on the streets rather than in a safe, warm bed.
“It kind of hurts our heart a little bit, they won’t set those things aside, at least long enough to get in out of the cold,” he said.
Beacon of Hope operates as a high-barrier shelter, which Bidleman acknowledged can be another obstacle. Residents are expected to remain substance-free while they stay there.
“You are to be clean and sober ... while you stay here,” Bidleman said. “What they don’t realize is that if they are willing, a lot of time, we will take them as they are.”
For men like Grant Trusty, the stakes are clear. He lived on the streets for about three years after his house burned down before coming to Beacon of Hope. He said surviving subzero nights outdoors is a dangerous gamble.
“I would have layered up in clothes. It would have been tough. Probably would have got pneumonia again. So not likely,” Trusty said.
Other local organizations are trying to help in their own ways.
At the Salvation Army of Fort Dodge, Capt. Ali Welch said they do not offer overnight accommodations but provide warmth and food during the day.
“We do operate during our business hours as a warming shelter for the community, with hot coffee on hand,” she said.
Bidleman said that despite the disappointment of not seeing a surge in shelter use during the recent cold snap, Beacon of Hope will continue its efforts to bring men indoors and off the streets.