City to ink deal with hotel to house homeless this winter

MIDDLETOWN — A new partnership between the state and city will allow homeless individuals to be housed at a local hotel during the pandemic.

In past years, warming centers have been held by Main Street churches, such as Church of the Holy Trinity, South Congregational Church and First Baptist Church. State funding will open up rooms at Wesley Inn & Suites, 988 Washington St., according to Middletown Acting Health Director Kevin Elak.

The collaboration will begin once a deal is finalized. The service is expected to begin Nov. 30 and continue through early spring, he said, and “it’s quite significant.”

Columbus House, which has an office in the city, will be staffing and running the program, and food will be provided by St. Vincent de Paul Middletown. Columbus House’s mission is to “serve people who are homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless, by providing shelter and housing and by fostering their personal growth and independence,” according to its website.

“We have been working feverishly for months to find a warming center,” Elak said. “It’s been a

challenge with the COVID, understandably so, that churches don’t want the warming center because of fear of the pandemic. It’s a big relief that we’re going to have a place where people can go to get warm and also to stay safe.”

The collaboration is a win-win for all those involved, he said. “It’s fantastic. We’ll get people off the street, and, at the same time, they’re going to have their own rooms, so we’re preventing spread of the virus,” he said.

The city expects to announce the service once a contract is signed in the near future, he said.