Generations United Church has opened a cold night emergency shelter to serve families with children and elderly residents during dangerous winter weather in Niceville.
- The shelter, located at 108 Hwy 85 N, began operating Wednesday and will activate when temperatures drop below 41 degrees Fahrenheit. The church is using its GroupLife Building off Niceville Avenue to provide the service.
“This shelter represents our commitment to Just One More – one more person, one more family, one more member of our community recognizing the love of Christ,” said Lead Pastor Tommy Brown. “No family should have to choose between staying warm and staying safe, and no elderly resident should face that danger alone.”
Currently, only one cold night shelter serves families with children in Okaloosa County — the Crestview Area Shelter for the Homeless, located approximately 20 miles from Niceville. The church is partnering with existing county shelters to arrange transportation for adults without children.
Elder Kelli Hernandez, who oversees community outreach, said the distance to other shelters creates hardship for local families.
- “We’re seeing families that would rather sleep in their cars or in homes without utilities in freezing temperatures than drive to the nearest shelter 30 minutes away so that the kids can get to school on time or parents can get to work on time,” Hernandez said.
The shelter will provide warm overnight accommodations, personal cots and bed linens, hot meals and beverages, basic hygiene facilities and hygiene kits, connections to community resources, a supervised environment for children and accessibility accommodations for elderly guests.
Church volunteers will staff the facility during operating hours from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. on activation nights.
Community members can check shelter status by calling the church office at 850-678-2531, visiting the church’s Facebook page at facebook.com/genuchurch, or monitoring local weather alerts and community announcements.
Generations United Church has served the Niceville community for more than 80 years, providing spiritual guidance, community support and outreach programs.
One Response
I am so grateful a church is obeying God’s command to be a doer of the Word and not a heater only. We desperately need this in Bay co. Especially for homeless men.