Last Updated: Dec. 4, 4:45 p.m.
The Sheltering Tree will open the Flagler County cold-weather shelter for three nights in a row this week–Dec. 2, 3 and 4. The shelter opens only when the temperature falls below 40.
The shelter will open at its usual location at the Rock Transformation Center, also known as Church on the Rock, 2200 N State St, Bunnell, at 5:30 p.m.. It will close the following day at 8 a.m. Guests, who may be homeless or who may simply need a heated place, as some homes in the county lack heat, will receive a hot dinner and a hot breakfast, free of charge.
The shelter is run entirely by a corps of Sheltering Tree volunteers, who operate in teams. Security is provided, as is overnight supervision and transportation, if needed. Though the shelter is hosted by Church on the Rock, the shelter operation itself is non-denominational, and open to people of all creeds, faiths or no faith. The Sheltering Tree is under the umbrella of the Flagler County Family Assistance Center, a non-profit established in 2011 to provide cold-weather sheltering during cold nights in Flagler County.
There are no permanent shelters for the homeless in the county. When the Volusia-Flagler Commission on Homelessness and Housing conducted its survey last year–a literal person-by-person count of the homeless by volunteers who fan out across the two counties in places known to be frequented by the homeless–it found a total of 65 people, a suspiciously low number.
Flagler County, Palm Coast and Bunnell jointly contribute up to $25,000 a year–or $1,000 per night–to defray the costs of the shelter, which include food, security, rent, and incidental supplies provided to those in need. The county also provides free transportation to those who need it.
The county will provide bus transportation along two routes, along this schedule:
- Dollar General at Publix Town Center, 3:30 p.m.
- Near the McDonald’s at Old Kings Road South and State Road 100, 4 p.m.
- Dollar Tree by Carrabba’s and Walmart, 4:30 p.m.
- Palm Coast Main Branch Library, 4:45 p.m.
- Dollar General at County Road 305 and Canal Avenue in Daytona North, 4 p.m.
- Bunnell Free Clinic, 4:30 p.m.
- First United Methodist Church in Bunnell, 4:30 p.m.
Call 386-437-3258, extension 105 for information about transportation to the shelter, or for information about the shelter itself.
Note: this article is a reposted, updated version of an article we repost whenever the shelter is scheduled to open, so you will see comments below dating back to previous openings.
pete says
Please 65 come on
MeToo says
There’s more than that in one city in Volusia. Don’t let the same people count votes!
Endless dark money says
So they don’t arrest them yet or is that coming after they stay at shelter for one night? Only gop criminalize homeless so if you are homeless don’t trust an rcon they do not want to help you. Your more profitable to them in jail.
rich L Santomassino says
What?
TR says
Endless dark money: I’m with rich L Santomassino, What the hell are you saying????
Endless dark money says
Across the US republican controlled states are making homelessness a crime. Sleeping on public property is now a crime. So they are imprisioned since they have no money. GoP also propsed a bill to withhold funds intended to go to help homeless people. So just normal republican crimes against humanity nothing too new here.
Denali says
You are leaving out the most important part: The confinement facilities the homeless folks end up in are privately run facilities owned by, guess who? You would be correct if you said big time GOP supporters.
minority other The says
You are correct. Joe Mullins gave his friend the fake Pastor 6k month to run Church on the Rock before he left office.
Nobody knows what money is spent on the visitors. Another scam operator.
Tired of it says
How exactly is he a fake pastor? Do you know his qualifications as a pastor? The cold weather shelter pays to use the facility. How do you know that Mullins gave him that money? Did you see a documentt to that effect or are you just spreading misinformation? How do you know what the church spends miney on? Have you seen their books?
TR says
This commenter is a copy of the me the original TR who posts on here. Been here for years and would appreciate it if you would change your username. Surprised FL allows more than one person to use the same user name.
Marianne says
Gov DeSantis passed the bill Oct 1st making homelessness a crime in any public space. They will be given trespass notification first and then arrested.
Greed over people says
Institutional slaves are the new labor force right?
Everything is for money. If you didn’t want “illegals” you would require i9s and punish companies that don’t utilize. Instead you want to track people down and send them to camps? Im betting that will go well…..
Political gambling enters the chat….
Hey what’s the over under migrant deaths during deportation?
I got 100$ betting price of fruits and vegetables is about to skyrocket with “conservative “ policies..
takers?
Halford says
Homeless people are not penny less
Most receive government assistance including SSI of approximately 950 per month, food stamps, and medicaid
Yes I understand that is not enough to live on, so don’t jump all over me. There was a homeless man that used to sleep at the library on Palm Coast Parkway when my husband would go to work in the morning they had a conversation the homeless man made more money per month than my husband did working for the county.
Please stop making this about politics as this is a humanitarian issue no matter who’s in charge.
Tired of it says
Oh, the fallacy of your statement. In order to have any type of aid you have to have an actual address. There is no way you can simply go somewhere and get a check, in any event in order to cash a check you have to have an account somewhere. Secondly, where do you get the $950 figure? What is your factual source for that number? If you stopped to actually think about your statement you would realize how baseless it is. Where in Palm Coast would you go to get SSI, food stamps or any other type of aid? If you have no transportation how would you get to a place to even apply for aid?
Sally says
What ever happen to care for the needy? That went down the tubes when you vote for a Cult Republican.
Take a good look says
Why are most of these comments regarding this article on here originally posted from a year ago or longer???? I remember reading these same ones way back when this article was originally posted. Same info and news and stats as last year. Just curious.
FlaglerLive says
We have added an explanatory note at the foot of the article. Thank you for pointing it out.