ALPENA — Alpena County, the City of Alpena, and St. Vincent de Paul have reached a temporary agreement allowing the Alpena Community Emergency Warming Shelter to open on Christmas Eve.

The three entities had previously met and agreed to open the shelter under St. Vincent de Paul’s guidance but encountered a roadblock in trying to secure the necessary insurance coverage. Officials from all three parties have remained in daily communication and worked collaboratively to identify a solution that would allow the shelter to move forward – which occurred earlier this morning.

Under the temporary agreement, the shelter opened at 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve and operate through 8 a,m, on Jan. 6.

During this time, St. Vincent de Paul will utilize volunteers and help from the Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency (NEMCSA) while they continue to work on securing the necessary insurance coverage to allow for continued operations and employee participation.

The Alpena County Board of Commissioners will hold an emergency meeting following its Jan.2 organizational meeting to receive a status update from St. Vincent de Paul and determine whether to extend the agreement through the originally planned end date of March 31.

The shelter space has been fully prepared with the help of donors, including Home Depot, Aspen Haus Contracting, Michigan East Side Sales, Sober Steps Construction & Recovery Warehouse, Service Master, and generous individuals across Alpena.

Individuals interested in volunteering or seeking additional information about how they can support the shelter may contact the County of Alpena at (989) 354-9500 or email commissionersoffice@alpenacounty.org.