News photo by Kayla Wikaryasz County Administrator Jesse Osmer, left, and Alpena County Emergency Coordinator Nick Modrzynski are seen discussing where contractors will place partitions to separate families from individual shelter guests at the Merchants Building. Modrzynski said that because there was no official emergency declaration, his office will not be involved in the operations of the shelter, though he said he is helping where he can.

ALPENA — A new proposed partnership with community entities aims at addressing the acute homeless problem in Alpena by offering unhoused individuals in Alpena temporary shelter at the Alpena County Merchant’s Building.

Alpena County, the City of Alpena, and St. Vincent de Paul are in the final stages of crafting an agreement to partner to help the homeless.

They are also seeking others in the community to join and support their effort.

On Monday, the Alpena Municipal Council met and announced their partnership with Alpena County and St. Vincent de Paul to open the Merchants Building at the Alpena County Fairgrounds as a temporary warming shelter for local families and individuals experiencing “acute homelessness” on Monday.

Rachel Smolinski, Alpena city manager, told city council that Alpena County has offered the Merchants Building at the Alpena County Fairgrounds for use as a warming shelter for local homeless families and individuals through March 31. She stated that St. Vincent de Paul is the organization that will operate the shelter.

“Everything is kind of happening very quickly on this because it is an emergency shelter,” she said. “I know there is a lot of work to be done as far as the agreement and how the operations are going to go at that shelter.”

Smolinski told the board that the warming shelter is intended for local families and individuals who are experiencing homelessness.

She added that the city, county, and St. Vincent de Paul will approve a Cooperative Services Agreement that will outline operational guidelines, eligibility criteria, and roles and responsibilities of each party.

Smolinski told the board that the city requested up to $10,000 to “assist with operational costs of the shelter, contingent upon the development and execution of the Cooperative Services Agreement.”

The council on Monday approved $5,000.

She added that the city will also be establishing a “Finding Your Way Home” Program in collaboration with Alpena County. This program would assist individuals and families who are stranded in Alpena in returning to their home communities.

County Administrator Jesse Osmer told The News that the county is contributing $30,000 to the warming shelter. He said $15,000 will come from the 2025 budget and another $15,000 will come from the 2026 budget.

Osmer explained that the county is employing contractors to install temporary partitions to separate families from single individuals.

He said the county will soon put out a request for bedding, toiletries, cleaning supplies, non-perishables, bottled water, a coffee machine, and supplies for coffee, such as sugar and cream. He added that meals will not be provided at the shelter since many other organizations in the area, such as Trinity Episcopal Church, are providing meals for those in need.

“I think there is an immediate need that has been made apparent,” Osmer said, regarding the status of homelessness in Alpena County.

Osmer added that the warming shelter is not a “permanent solution” but was necessary to meet the needs of the community.

He said that the county remains “committed” to the “Finding Your Way Home” pilot program, which will launch the first of the year. He said that individuals sometimes find themselves stuck in Alpena because they were brought to the area for a hospital stay and cannot return home, for example.

Overall, he said that the homelessness crisis is a problem that isn’t going to be solved overnight and not by one organization.

“It’s a big issue and it takes more than one entity to solve it,” Osmer added.

Tom LaCross, St. Vincent de Paul and All Saints Center of Charity board member, told The News that the homelessness issue is “near and dear to his heart.” He said that through his time practicing as a judge in Alpena, he saw how homelessness affected individuals from various walks of life.

“I saw the effect of homelessness on a number of people,” he said.

LaCross explained that the warming shelter that St. Vincent de Paul is commandeering is targeted towards acute homelessness, which is a distinction of homeless populations, which encapsulates individuals and families who are currently living under the bridges, in the woods, or in “bare minimum shelters.”

He added that acute homelessness does not include individuals who are currently living in shelters, who are couch surfing, et cetera.

“We have a crisis in Alpena County,” LaCross states. “The weather has presented this crisis.”

LaCross said that it was “appropriate” for St. Vincent de Paul to step in as a leader in the effort because they can provide a corporate structure, they have an office that provides financial assistance to those in need, and it has staff trained to manage and support the homeless population.

LaCross said that the city and county contributions have been “extremely generous” in pushing forward the warming shelter project. However, he said that the warming shelter is a “band aid” for the larger homelessness problem that Alpena County is facing.

“That’s not the end of the story,” he added. “Homelessness is not a governmental responsibility.”

LaCross explained that helping homelessness individuals is “not what the county or city government is supposed to do.”

He said that “the whole community, a healthy community” helps its own.

LaCross added that St. Vincent de Paul is seeking monetary donations to support their efforts in helping the Alpena County homeless population.

“It’s their issue,” LaCross said, in regards to community members. “The residents of the county have historically been generous.”

He explained that Christina Kihn, director of All Saints Parish Center for Charity, will manage the volunteer efforts and has already begun to hold meetings and trainings with shelter volunteers.

Those wishing to volunteer at the warming shelter can contact Kihn at 1-989-884-1060.

According to a St. Vincent de Paul press release on Tuesday, the organization announced its collaboration to open the warming shelter and staff it with “trained personnel and trained volunteers.”

“All individual people of good will, church parish families, service clubs, and all the community of Alpena are asked to join us in our efforts to serve the desperately poor of Alpena,” the release states. “We cannot in good faith, celebrate the birth of Jesus, who was born into homelessness, without at least caring for the homeless in our midst.”

The release states that approximately 100 people in Alpena County are experiencing acute homelessness.

Victoria Purvis, Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency (NEMCSA) homeless and prevention director, told The News that NEMCSA employees will assist in performing intakes of shelter guests in person or via telephone.

“Our staff will visit the shelter in person if that is necessary,” Purvis said.

She explained that they had offered a similar plan to All Saints Center of Charity when they were first offered the Merchants Building in November, though the center eventually declined to lead the effort.

Purvis said that staff will practice “shelter diversion,” in that staff will seek alternative housing solutions for shelter guests before they are admitted to the shelter.

Kayla Wikaryasz can be reached at 989-358-5688 or kwikaryasz@TheAlpenaNews.com.