Shelters Battle Times As Chill Sets In

Amanda Duke, 22, said that she would be staying at the warming center at Fresh Start in Coeur d’Alene on Monday. (SR photo: Kathy Plonka)

Amanda Duke stopped by the Fresh Start homeless drop-in center in Coeur d’Alene on Monday afternoon, glad to find a place she could feel warm and safe for the night. Monday was the first night the center was planning to offer its warming shelter to house people overnight, with temperatures forecast to drop into the low 20s, said Howard Martinson, the executive director. Ordinarily, temperatures below 20 will trigger the center’s opening, he said. “I’m grateful for this. This place has always been somewhere I know I’ll be warm and they’ll feed me,” said Duke, 22, who said she’s nine weeks pregnant. “I feel safe here. The staff, you know, they care.” This winter season, Fresh Start may offer the only warming center in Coeur d’Alene/ Alison Boggs , SR. More here.

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