Oct 12 2023
PACEM is opening its 20th winter shelter season a week early on October 21, 2023, thanks to the generosity of Charlottesville First United Methodist Church and support from our community of faith partners, the PATH Team, the Salvation Army, and the City of Charlottesville. This collaborative effort helps relieve encampment congestion in Market Street Park and address these neighbors’ need for a safe place to sleep at night.
Shelter location and access information will be published on PACEM’s website and shared broadly with emergency responders and other critical access points. Additionally, PACEM staff will be canvassing the park to help those individuals in need of shelter understand their options and resolve barriers to access. “We meet folks where they are,” reflects Board Chair Cliff Haury, “and we adapt to what they need. Right now, they’re in the park and need shelter – that’s something we already know how to address.”
PACEM has operated winter emergency shelter in Charlottesville since 2004. It also provided innovative hotel-based shelter programs during the pandemic, from April 2020 through June 2023. In addition to shelter programs, PACEM operates housing programs for seniors and women, as well as advocates for disability benefits through its SOAR program. Together, through PACEM, the community has helped more than 1,800 individuals in need and provided more than 196,000 bed nights of shelter to our most vulnerable neighbors. PACEM opens its 20th season of winter shelter on October 21, 2023, and will operate through April 12, 2024.
Donate at www.pacemshelter.org/support-pacem or join our mailing list for the latest volunteer opportunities. Find us on social media @PACEMshelter on Facebook and Instagram.
Those in need of shelter can find access information at www.pacemshelter.org/get-help