As the days get shorter and the nights get colder, dozens of Saratogians will find shelter through Code Blue Saratoga, a program of Shelters of Saratoga. Founded in 2013, Code Blue provides temporary unrestricted shelter to individuals who are homeless during periods of hazardous weather—when temperatures reach below 32 degrees or the forecast calls for more than 12 inches of snow.
The Soul Saving Station Church on Henry Street will host Code Blue of Saratoga this winter for the second consecutive year. “Being part of this community, we have a duty to assist those in need,” Pastor Arnold Byrd II of The Soul Saving Station Church said. Last year, an average of 35 individuals per night utilized the emergency shelter at the church.
The second-year partnership between The Soul Saving Station and Code Blue Saratoga comes after delays in construction of a permanent Code Blue facility on Walworth Street, adjacent to the current Shelters of Saratoga shelter. In February 2017, Fingerpaint CEO Ed Mitzen and his wife Lisa announced a generous gift to construct the new facility with partners Bonacio Construction and the LA Group, but zoning and land use challenges have postponed the project.
Nonetheless, thanks to the generosity of Pastor Byrd and The Soul Saving Station, those in need this winter will have a safe place to sleep.
For more information about Code Blue Saratoga, click here.