CHEYENNE, Wyo. — With freezing temperatures to hit Cheyenne in the next few hours, Comea House Resource Center is preparing to confront unruly people seeking shelter.
Located at 1504 Stinson Ave., Comea serves as a shelter and resource center to the city’s homeless population. Under warmer weather conditions, it is a sober facility housing more than 100 residents enrolled in one of the center’s several recovery programs for issues including alcohol abuse and homelessness.
But when the weather takes a turn for the worse, people who are under the influence or who are usually denied entry for exhibiting threatening behavior toward staff or residents are allowed to stay for the night.
“We try really hard to lift all limitations when the weather truly could end someone’s life,” said Robin Zimmer, executive director of Comea.
New folks coming into the center are constantly reminded that any aggressive or inappropriate behavior will result in the police being called to the center to have them kicked out.
“As much as we want to keep people safe, we also need to protect the residents that are here in our long-term programs that are maintaining their sobriety and are moving forward.” Zimmer said.
Zimmer said the center’s tight staff of 19 is working overtime cleaning, cooking and clearing out bedroom spaces for people to sleep in. But if there is one upside to the low temperatures, Zimmer said, it is that it usually motivates people to be more accommodating.
“Thankfully most of the folks understand that this is their last chance,” Zimmer said. “If they can’t behave here, it’s in jail or outside in the cold.”
For more information on Comea House and Resource Center, visit http://www.comeashelter.org/.
