Free bus service to Duluth warming center nearly discontinued
DULUTH — True to form, the city's only seasonal warming center opened its doors Wednesday, the day after the general election, since the Lincoln Park Community Center it calls home also serves as a neighborhood polling place.
However, there were concerns about how people in need of overnight shelter would be able to access the facility.
In past years, the Duluth Transit Authority has offered free rides to people coming and going from the shelter. However, this year, the DTA Board thought twice about continuing the feeless service.
DTA General Manager Rod Fournier explained that the organization has recently struggled to accommodate the needs of shelter users.
Since the warming shelter opened three years ago, Fournier said the facility's hours and dates of operation have expanded, "And we've seen our ridership really explode in the program, from around 4,000 rides that first year to well over 12,000 last year."
That additional burden has proven a challenge, especially as shelter users typically board buses downtown during the morning rush hour and return to the warming center as other western residents are commuting back home from work. Fournier said that's one of the DTA's busiest corridors, where, he noted, "Our overall ridership has just been climbing and climbing."
Complicating matters has been the fact that many people experiencing homelessness carry nearly all their remaining worldly possessions on their person. These belongings sometimes have complicated boarding and have taken up excess bus seats.
"So, that's really what led to the decision to maybe not do it again. And there was some frustration on the part of our drivers, which I can understand because it impacts everybody," Fournier said.
The DTA also can't afford to alienate its employees, Fournier pointed out. "We've got a great group of people driving our buses, and they have a tough enough job without having to deal with some of these problems on what's really been a daily basis," he said.
Just like many other employers, Fournier noted the DTA has at times struggled to recruit and retain valued staff in recent years. He said the overburdened buses were causing other riders occasionally to be late for school or work, as well, creating additional stress for drivers.
Fournier said he also recognizes the important role the DTA has played in safely transporting people to warming shelters. He recalls being pleased when Duluth City Council President Roz Randorf suggested DTA staff meet with homeless advocates to discuss the situation earlier this week.
"I felt that, 'I don't know what we can do. But I'm willing to listen to just about anything," Fournier said.
Randorf said Chum and DTA representatives have agreed to work together to even out the number of warming center residents boarding buses at any particular time and to limit the amount of personal property they bring in tow. She said Chum staff intend to serve as intermediaries.
"So, I think with those two things, the DTA was certainly willing to give this another shot," Fournier said.
Fortunately, Fournier said, the busy corridor accommodates upward of seven buses an hour during the morning rush, when many warming center guests are heading back into the city center to access breakfast and other support services. He said that if Chum staff can help manage the flow of users, it should go a long way toward easing the DTA's difficulties. The involved parties have agreed to give the new system a 30-day trial, beginning Monday, before they reconvene to evaluate the results.
John Cole, executive director of Chum, the nonprofit organization that staffs the warming center, as well as a homeless shelter in Duluth, said for people who have lost so many of their possessions in life, the desire to control and protect what little they have left can be intense and a bit all-consuming.
"Autonomy over stuff becomes important in an existence where you might feel you have control over nothing else," he said in a previous interview with the News Tribune.
The Chum shelter and the Damiano Center have invested in secure storage to help provide people experiencing homelessness with another option than needlessly carrying everything they own with them.
Randorf expressed optimism that the cooperative approach between Chum and the DTA will yield results, noting that the distance between the warming center at 2014 W. Third St. and the Damiano Center's kitchen at 206 W. Fourth St. is "a long haul," especially for people often in poor health, with disabilities and carrying heavy winter loads.
"It's so needed, and Rod was so gracious to listen and collaborate on possible ways to move forward. I'm super-excited to see that," Randorf said.
"Just think about a blizzardy day when it's freezing, and you need to try to get breakfast. ... Good grief. Just think about the human element alone," she said, noting that an average of around 75 people per evening use the warming shelter, with the occupancy often approaching 100 in bitter winter weather.
Jill Keppers, executive director of the Duluth Housing and Redevelopment Authority, which owns and manages the Lincoln Park Community Center, gave all sides high marks for working to find a solution.
"We don't have the opportunity to save lives all the time. But when we do, it is so important to bring everyone to the table. And I thank the DTA for participating in that discussion," she said.
