Community support aids men’s shelter
Men’s Winter Refuge fills need in Minot
Mike Zimmer, executive director at Men’s Winter Refuge, stands in a congregate area where shelter residents can relax, watch television or a video or use the computer.
Two beds in Minot’s Men’s Winter Refuge are ready for occupants.
Mike Zimmer, executive director at Men’s Winter Refuge, stands in a congregate area where shelter residents can relax, watch television or a video or use the computer.
Two beds in Minot’s Men’s Winter Refuge are ready for occupants.
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Community support has been behind the success of Minot's Men's Winter Refuge, which has provided temporary housing through its shelter or hotel stays for more than 1,500 individuals since its inception in 2013.
"People here are amazing," said Executive Director Mike Zimmer. "Last winter, for example, I put up a post that we were looking for winter gloves. Within a week I had 100 pairs of winter gloves. People just come by and leave them on our donation table. It’s an amazing community that way."
The 12-bed shelter provides food, clothing, basic nursing care, shower and laundry facilities and transportation assistance for men ages 18 and older who are experiencing homelessness.
It also provides emergency transportation assistance with bus or train tickets for those who need to relocate. Its men's clothing closet serves others in need in the community in addition to shelter residents. Every Wednesday, the shelter provides bus service from Milton Young and Henry Towers to transport individuals to the Lord's Cupboard food pantry. In the past four years, the bus has provided rides to more than 3,500 individuals.
Zimmer said the shelter averages 7-9 men a night between Nov. 1 and April 30. However, Men's Winter Refuge provides services year-round, meeting temporary housing needs through hotel stays during the months when the shelter doesn't operate.
"It’s a busy place. There’s a lot of folks who need help," Zimmer said. Since he joined the refuge eight years ago, he has found resident stays are longer than during the years when oil-field jobs moved them out quickly.
"Typically now, it takes a little bit longer to do the whole process of finding a job, looking for an apartment and getting into an apartment, Which is kind of a good thing because early on when I first started, I noticed a lot of guys were leaving probably before they were actually ready," Zimmer said. "It seems like the longer guys stay, the more they’re actually ready to go when they do go."
A typical stay is a month or two, although it can vary from a couple of weeks to all winter, he said.
"Our goal is to set them up for success when they leave here - not just get them in, get them out," Zimmer said.
In addition to helping men find places to live, the refuge connects them with community agencies that can help with any services they need. They learn about budgeting, responsible spending and finding an apartment that's a good fit.
To find shelter at the refuge, men must pass basic background checks. Violent felonies, sex offenses and active warrants are the only disqualifiers. Residents must be clean and sober, and Zimmer noted the shelter has served to help transition men coming out of recovery programs or jail.
About 75% of men who seek shelter for homelessness are employed, Zimmer said. They may be homeless due to eviction or issues surrounding family or roommate situations that have forced them to give up their housing.
"They just need a temporary helping hand and they’re off and running," Zimmer said. "I have met some interesting guys. And we have lots of former residents who come back and volunteer."
James Jimenez, now vice president on the Men's Winter Refuge Board, was homeless in 2019, living in Las Vegas. He transferred with his employer to Minot to be closer to his son in North Dakota. Upon arriving in the middle of winter, he was directed to the refuge, where he obtained warm winter clothes and in two weeks was able to save enough money to get a place of his own.
"If it wasn't for that place and Minot, I probably wouldn't be where I am at right now," said Jimenez, who works in the retail industry and is taking classes in addiction studies at Minot State University. He has maintained his own addiction recovery since coming to Minot.
"It gave me a good stepping stone to start my new life out here," Jimenez said of Men's Winter Refuge. "It was awesome. I think I owe a lot to that place. That's why I am on the board now. I have to give back."
In addition to serving on the board, Jimenez volunteers on Friday nights as an overnight attendant.
Overnight attendants fill shifts from roughly 7 p.m.-5 a.m. to be available if the men need assistance or just want to talk. The refuge also relies on volunteers who sign up on its meal train calendar to provide evening meals.
"Last winter, there probably were less than a dozen nights where we didn’t have one person signed up, and that’s over six months from November to April," Zimmer said.
The refuge also welcomes community donations of food, clothing or money to supplement grants from government and foundation grants.
"The best thing about our shelter is we have no debt and no overhead. The house is owned by the city, and they give it to us for $1 a year. We have no overhead on the house or our vehicles," Zimmer said. "Every dollar that comes in goes straight to our services."