According to Ray Severn, volunteer board chairman of the shelter, two deputies with the sheriff’s office contacted him Monday and asked if they could help clean up areas of the shelter.
“I was asked to have a meeting with them, and they asked me if I had the space available to help them bring in workers to clean,” Severn said. “It was news to me that they’d want to help out, but we’ve always had a good relationship with them - for years they have brought people here who had no place to go.”
Last week, Temple’s Building and Standards Commission ordered the 25-year-old homeless shelter to close its thrift store, kitchen, food pantry and men’s dorm by Monday, June 8. Problems the city had with the agency’s structures included electrical, plumbing, structural and safety issues.
However, the shelter was granted a reprieve by a Bell County district judge who on Friday issued a temporary restraining order, allowing them to stay open until a hearing that will take place next week.
Maj. Bob Patterson of the sheriff’s office said he asked a deputy to look into helping clean out the shelter after hearing about its potential closing.
“I asked (a deputy) to inquire, and see if there was any way we could help clean and pick up trash,” Patterson said. “We’re not doing any type of structural work. We don’t have electricians or plumbers or anything like that - it’s basic cleanup.”
Severn said the sheriff’s office wants to set up a community service center for weekend cleanup at the site. He also said the workers were helping clean up the third and forth floors of the men’s dorm, which have been unoccupied by residents.
“They said they would help us with anything we need done, from cleaning floors, to hauling trash, etc. - anything to help the cause,” he said.
Severn said the shelter has been focusing on its next court appearance at 9 a.m. Monday in the 169th District Court of Bell County.
“We’ve been so focused on our case, that we were elated when we found out the sheriff’s office was going to help us out with cleanup,” Severn said. “The fact that they’re talking about helping us out here over the weekend really shows they’re supporting us in our endeavors.”
Sheriff Dan Smith, however, said his office’s assistance should not be taken as an endorsement.
“That should not be taken that way. I don’t know any of the details of the operation of the center,” Smith said in response to Severn’s comment. “We get requests daily for inmate help. Nothing else should be read into it.”
