Two people use shelter on State School property during subzero weekend

LACONIA — Despite subzero temperatures and freezing winds, the city’s temporary cold-weather shelter on the former State School Property remained almost entirely unused for the weekend. Fortunately, there were no reported deaths. Laconia Fire Chief Tim Joubert confirmed his department responded to two medical incidents involving unhoused people due to cold exposure.

According to the Lakes Region Mental Health Center, which is responsible for operating the cold-weather shelter in the Dube building on the State School property, only two people took them up on their offer last weekend.

The shelter is open when temperatures drop below 20 degrees, or after more than 6 inches of snowfall. Lakes Region Mental Health Center also provides transportation to the facility starting at 8 p.m. from Laconia City Hall on the nights it is open. As of this week, the shelter has been open seven nights this year, and its only use was last weekend.

Isaiah 61 Cafe has not reached the 30-bed capacity at their cold weather shelter this year.

“Other than [last] weekend, it’s been a really warm winter,” said Dawn Longval, founder of Isaiah 61 Cafe. “Last winter, I remember January every day was like zero or single digits. We were filled up last year.”

Longval was granted approval last year to operate Laconia’s first and only low-barrier cold-weather shelter, after establishing deep roots in the local community of people experiencing homelessness.

“We know one of our friends did spend the weekend at the shelter there,” Longval said. “He has a lot of health issues and needed to be inside.”

The second cold-weather shelter at the Dube building was just approved this year, and is new and unfamiliar to those experiencing homelessness in the Lakes Region.

“There’s so many unknowns to them,” Longval explained. “They don’t know the people that are going to be there supervising, while we have a relationship here, where they know there’s people they can trust.”

Longval added that she and her staff made efforts to spread word of the second shelter, but it appears that a fear of the unknown and a fear of losing possessions may have kept many out in the cold. 

Longval speculated that increased aid and better supplies make it easier for people to stay outside. 

“We know this year, because we’ve had more available funds to help people, we’ve had a lot of people ask for propane for heaters and such,” Longval said. “I guess they’re feeling, ‘We can stay warm with this and we can keep doing what we do.’”