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The five-alarm fire at the Mayflower apartment building in Rochester, New York, last November left twenty-three people without a home. Some of them had no other place to go.
The local Red Cross called Rev. Shari Quan, lead minister of First Unitarian Church of Rochester, which had registered as an emergency shelter only a couple of weeks prior. Quan agreed to help.
“I was at dinner around 6:30,” said Quan, “and the church was open and ready to receive people in ninety minutes.”
Eight people and two cats stayed at the shelter that Sunday night, and the church remained open to them until Wednesday afternoon.
“When we say this church is a sanctuary, we mean that literally,” said Quan.
Houses of worship are a crucial part of the Red Cross shelter network that provides emergency support following disasters, said Julian Buttitta, the Western New York region’s Mass Care National Shelter System program lead.
“If you’re interested in trying to be a shelter for the Red Cross, we are really emphasizing the fact that we’re looking for community partners,” said Buttitta.
Quan said that the church’s expenses for serving as a shelter were minor, totaling around $40 for coffee.
“The Red Cross takes care of almost everything; we just provide the space,” said Quan.
Congregation volunteers opened the building, welcomed, and registered Mayflower residents affected by the fire. Red Cross volunteers swiftly set up cots, bedding, first-aid supplies, food, and more in the church’s gathering hall.
“This congregation’s mission specifically mentions serving the wider community, so it was 100 percent part of our mission to do this service,” said Florence Jessup, First Unitarian’s director of Operations, who helped organize UU volunteers in support of the Red Cross emergency response. “It was wonderful to see us putting our values into action.”
Buttitta, who led that night’s deployment for the Red Cross and has helped organize responses to myriad disasters, praised First Unitarian for its rapid response to the apartment fire.
“The church was unbelievably helpful,” Buttitta said. “They were working with us right away, helping us get into the building and deal with technical issues like door codes. They were making coffee for the clients as soon as they came in because they knew they were probably tired.”
Reflecting on the experience, Quan said she was moved to receive positive feedback from Red Cross volunteers, particularly about how welcoming the church was for shelter residents.
“They said ‘We house people in a lot of different churches, and this is the cleanest, most welcoming environment we’ve ever been in,’” said Quan. “‘It’s really great to come in and see the rainbow flag you’re flying. This feels like a place that feels safe and good for everyone.’”
Could Your Congregation Be a Red Cross Shelter?
Last January, the UUA offered empty commercial space at its headquarters to the state as a free temporary overnight shelter. Roderick, Angela, and their young child are among those granted haven there.
For First Unitarian, it made sense to open its doors to the community this way, said Jessup.
Buttitta “dropped by one day in September saying that they are in need of additional shelter locations in the Rochester area and wondered if he might be able to sit down and talk with me about it,” said Jessup. “We both realized that our location would be a wonderful place for a shelter.”
Interested congregations can complete a pre-survey form providing general info about their building, which may lead to an on-site evaluation of the space by a Red Cross shelter survey team, Buttitta said.
“It was much easier than I thought it would be,” said Jessup of the registration process. “Our congregation had been interested in providing a service like this for our community and had thought we would not be able to because our kitchen is not licensed as a commercial kitchen, and we don’t have any showers. The most important thing we learned was that the Red Cross takes care of all of that.”
To congregations that may be considering the shelter registration process, Jessup’s advice is: “Do it.”
“It was a very good experience for all of us, and our volunteers that were staffing the door were thrilled to be able to help out.
“Personally, it made me very proud of this congregation,” Jessup added. “If love is at the center, this is what you do.”
Church communities curious about the emergency shelter program can call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to connect with the appropriate regional staff member.