United Caring Services (UCS) and the Commission on Homelessness for Evansville and Vanderburgh County announced today that, effective immediately, the community’s White Flag emergency homeless shelter program will primarily occur at the CK Newsome Center for this cold-weather season. Now in its 10th year, the White Flag program conducted by UCS will include Evansville Rescue Mission (ERM) for the first time. UCS’s White Flag program is made possible every year by the generous support of the Pigeon Township Trustee’s Office.
“Due to the social distancing required by COVID-19, United Caring Services needed to be able to conduct our White Flag homeless shelter program at a larger facility,†said Jason Emmerson, Executive Director of United Caring Services. “It was important that we have enough room to accommodate everyone we shelter during times of peak demand. It also made sense to combine our program with that of Evansville Rescue Mission in a single, centralized location.â€
Emmerson estimated that, based on past White Flag experiences at UCS and ERM, he would need room to provide overnight sleeping accommodations for as many as 70-80 people. With COVID-19-related social distancing requirements in effect, UCS no longer had sufficient space in its shelter to accommodate that amount. Emmerson expects White Flag to occur on about 60 nights this cold-weather season.
“We’re pleased to make the CK Newsome Center available for the White Flag program,†said Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke, President of the Commission on Homelessness. “It is an effective solution that ensures our unsheltered homeless population has a safe and secure place to stay warm overnight during extreme cold weather conditions. White Flag will not interfere with previously-scheduled events at CK Newsome Center.â€
What is White Flag?
Evansville’s White Flag Emergency Shelter Program, managed by United Caring Services in partnership with Pigeon Township, was established in 2010. It provides overnight emergency shelter for men, women and children experiencing homelessness during extreme cold weather conditions. White Flag shelter will be available at CK Newsome Center between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. When White Flag concludes, the area used will be returned to the CK Newsome Center for normal operation. White Flag is activated when outdoor temperatures are projected to be below 32 degrees Fahrenheit for three consecutive hours. Due to COVID-19, White Flag will occur at CK Newsome Center this cold-weather season, rather than separately at United Caring Services and Evansville Rescue Mission, as before. For more information: https://unitedcaringservices.org/white-red-flag/
