The Path Forward: CBWS Capacity Accessibility & Availability

Path Forward: Code Blue Warming Station - Increasing Capacity, Accessibility, and Availability

We can not say thank you enough to Austrian film director Peter Brunner for getting this GoFundMe started to assist Amarillo Housing First with expanding our Code Blue Warming Station program.

Donations for The Path Forward project will be collected via GoFundMe to benefit 501(c)(3) Amarillo Housing First (AHF). AHF operates under a revitalized board, with Susan Bailey joining the board, along with Rev. Tammy Breitbarth of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, under the expertise of longtime AHF founding members Sarah Yung, Cathy Proctor, and Virginia Williams Trice. Mary Emeny, the Amarillo philanthropist and activist serves as a board advisor.

This short-term initiative aims to bridge a critical gap for Amarillo's unsheltered citizens until the end of the 2024/2025 winter season providing shelter, safety, and essential services to protect individuals from the harsh winter until Transformation Park opens. We aim to open daily, following Code Blue Warming Station's regular hours.

The Path Forward will expand availability under Cold Blue guidelines in a renovated AHF warehouse increasing accessibility. The facility will increase capacity to offer warmth, secure bedding, pet care, and daily meals for the most vulnerable people in our community and their pets by opening more floor space. Hygiene needs will be addressed with mobile units providing showers and toilets, serving 80-120 people and their pets. Donated food will help provide one hot meal daily, along with snacks and drinks. Community partners like Transformation Park and Amarillo Brown Bag Runs will contribute additional resources and services to support these efforts.

The Path Forward aims to act as a central hub, bringing together a project coordinator, social work professionals, security, and cleaning staff alongside volunteers, healthcare providers, and Continuum of Care partners. This initiative will not only meet an immediate, life-saving need but also strengthen our community, engaging local organizations and volunteers to ensure no one is left behind during the winter. Social workers will assist with essential services, including ID help and housing plans.

Additionally, social work students from West Texas A&M University will provide volunteer support, with medical assistance from Regence Health Network to address medical needs during this vulnerable period. We will work with city transit to transport our homeless neighbors to these health screenings.

This initiative represents a holistic, community-driven approach to professional care and support. Together, we are creating a safety net for our unhoused neighbors, preventing cold-related illnesses and saving lives until Transformation Park opens to offer a permanent, long-term solution.

Our grand total of $123,700 will go into sleeping arrangements for over 100 of our houseless neighbors, providing heating and climate control for them, security and safety, hygiene and sanitation, daily food and nutrition, and social and medical services to provide care and support for the remainder of the 2024/2025 winter season.