PACEM

Intake Location and Hours

Holy Comforter Catholic Church, 208 E. Jefferson St. (directly behind the main library downtown)

Intake for men and women is open seven days a week from November to March. Guests must come to intake between 5 – 6 p.m. if they want to stay with PACEM that night.  PACEM operates as a shelter of last resort, so if individuals have access to other shelter options (Salvation Army, friends, family, etc.), they should utilize those resources before seeking shelter at PACEM.

While PACEM is not able to house families with children, we do have an emergency lodging program and individual support available for families facing an immediate housing crisis.

Teens who come to PACEM seeking shelter will get help in accessing the Emergency Runaway Program at Children Youth and Family Services.

Guidelines for PACEM Guests

Weapons:
No weapons of any kind are allowed. Anything that can be used as a weapon, such as box cutters, screwdrivers, pocketknives, etc., must be given to staff at intake each evening.

Violence:
Violence is not tolerated. Anyone who is violent towards staff, volunteers or other guests will be banned for the season.

Alcohol/Drugs:
The use or possession of alcohol or illegal drugs at the Intake site or host sites is strictly prohibited.

Intake Process:
PACEM welcomes our guests at a central Intake site with a warm cup of coffee and a warm heart. At 6 p.m., PACEM staff transports guests to the host site. Guests must come to Intake each and every night that they wish to stay at PACEM, and guests need to arrive at Intake by 6 p.m. If guests try to bypass Intake and go directly to the shelter site, they will not be able to stay the night. If a guest will be working late or wishes to attend an evening church service or an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)/Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meeting, we ask that they please notify the PACEM staff before 6 p.m. that they will be arriving late that night. Otherwise, they will not be able to stay the night. We reserve the right to verify guests’ work/meeting schedule.

Language:
Threatening or abusive language is not allowed. Please avoid cursing, especially in church.

Personal Property:
Each guest is responsible for his or her own property, which is limited to two bags. Any belongings left behind when we move to a new host site will be discarded.

Smoking:
Smoking is allowed only in the area that each site has set aside for that purpose. Check with staff to determine smoking areas. Smoking outside of these areas may result in disciplinary action.

Leaving the Site:
Our shelter program is not a “come and go as you please” type of operation. Anyone leaving the shelter during scheduled hours will not be allowed to return that night.

Appropriate Attire:
Guests are required to sleep in street clothes, not nightclothes.

Respect for Others:
Guests are expected to be thoughtful of others.
Guests must respect the property of the intake and host sites.
Guests are expected to be considerate of all other guests, staff and volunteers.
Headphones must be used with radios.
Each guest is responsible for helping to keep the shelter and bathrooms clean.
Guests are expected to limit their use of the bathroom if others are waiting.
Only quiet behavior is allowed after lights out.
Due to space limitations, guests are limited to two bags.

Sleeping Schedule:
Lights-out is at 11 p.m. Wake-up is at 5:45 a.m. (6:15 a.m. on weekends). Guests need to leave by 6:30 a.m. (7 a.m. on weekends). Guests are responsible for getting themselves out of bed and out of the door in the mornings.

Failure to comply with any of the above rules may cause PACEM to terminate guests from the program (either for one night, one week, or the whole season).