The Transitional Season

BOHO has opened programs at two sites every night this past summer. Our programs offer our guests safe, legal sleeping, and compared to the EWC, less crowding and a quieter experience better focused on individual guest needs:
Resident’s Shelter is open to chronically homeless residents with a record of good behavior
Women’s Shelter is open to chronically homeless women residents with a record of good behavior.
What about the transition to winter? Women’s and Residents Shelters will continue to operate on a nightly basis. EWCs operate whenever weather is severe (such as the Flood). Almost all EWC activity, though, occurs in October through April. In four out of the past five years, BOHO opened an EWC in May; in three out of the past five years, BOHO opened an EWC in September (including the Flood). BOHO is always on standby to open an EWC.

How are Host Sites notified? During the winter, host sites make the very generous commitment to keep their facilities available on a certain week-night, every week. In May through September, when BOHO recognizes that a forecast storm may trigger a need for an EWC, BOHO will locate and confirm a site for each night that an EWC may be required. Both BOHO and our guests realize that these are ad hoc occasions, and that our host sites may not be able to offer the levels of hospitality planned during the winter season. That does not reduce our gratitude for the love and generosity you are showing by hosting.

How is BOHO staff notified? Staff will be notified by our communications chain each night an EWC is opened. The EWC staff members on duty on a particular night may not be members of the team that served at that location during the winter, but they will be fully qualified. BOHO trains staff during the summer. Any staff members who are in training are in additional positions and under direct, one-on-one supervision by our veteran staff members.

How are guests notified? All message media currently state that EWCs are closed until further notice. During the winter EWC season, BOHO issues a daily e-mail with the EWC location (and during weather-dependent fall and spring times, includes the daily open or closed message). Facebook and the hotline carry the same messaging and are updated daily Oct through April.

We will shortly begin our Fall fundraising campaign. Please make BOHO a priority in your giving, as you have so generously done in the past.