Belknap House Officially Opens
Belknap House opened as an emergency shelter for homeless
families with children in Belknap County on Tuesday, February
28th. The certificate of occupancy was completed on
February 27th. The 200 Court Street building was
acquired in April 2016 and followed by eight months of
renovations. Included in the renovation effort were lead
paint and asbestos abatement, a new sprinkler and fire alarm
systems, all new electric and plumbing, furnace and hot water
tanks, walls and insulation, doors and windows, flooring and
carpeting, a kitchen and laundry equipment.
The
two pictures show the extent of the transformation of the
kitchen area. There was not a kitchen in the existing
building. This area contained an entrance to the basement,
a small bathroom, some office space and an external exit.
The kitchen cabinets in the background replaced the stairway to
the basement. The external exit was replaced with a wall
and the refrigerator now takes its place. All new
flooring, plumbing, wiring, walls, countertops, appliances,
cabinets, and lighting was added to the kitchen. Similar
work was done to every room in the existing building.
Belknap House will serve as a cold weather shelter through May
15, housing up to 19 individuals. Memorial Weekend it will
reopen as a hostel for tourists though Oct 15, when it
transitions back to a cold weather shelter. Belknap House
has four part-time staff to manage the shelter and relies
heavily on volunteers to fill 5 shifts daily, 7 days a week.
Shifts are flexible and schedules are adapted to match the
availability of volunteers. Volunteers working in the
shelter have undergone background checks and completed at least
2 hours of training.
Belknap House also needs volunteers to help with landscaping,
helping with the transition from shelter to hostel, and serving
on committees. No training or background checks are
required for these assignments. Individuals
interested in volunteering can sign up on our Facebook page or
call Belknap House (527-8097) to be added to our volunteer
interest list.
Belknap House wishes to thank all of the volunteers and sponsors
that helped us achieve this opening. Hundreds have
donated money, items and time to make this shelter a reality.
The community support for this effort has been outstanding and
continues to be impressive. A celebratory opening for the
public to tour Belknap House is planned for May.
To
learn more, volunteer, or donate, please visit
www.belknaphouse.org or
http://facebook.com/belknaphouse/