Willand Warming Center for the unhoused attracts two local bidders

ROCHESTER — Two last-minute bids were received to operate the Willand Warming Center as the November opening date draws near.

The center for unhoused people, located at 30 Willand Drive in Somersworth, is owned by Dover and run cooperatively by Dover, Somersworth and Rochester, with each city contributing yearly to its operating costs.

SOS Recovery Services, which oversaw the center last year, did not apply this year citing a lack of sufficient staff and volunteers. In response, the three cities sent out a request for proposals. Bidding opened Oct. 12 at 11 a.m. and closed Oct. 25 at 5 p.m.

Rochester City Manager Katie Ambrose said they received two proposals in response to the Tri-City Willand Road Warming Center Services RFP.

"One came from Community Action Partnership of Strafford County for $269,860.55, and a second one from Karlee’s Home Team & New England Cavalry for $207,800," said Ambrose. "The proposals will be reviewed and evaluated based on the criteria specified in the RFP and we should have more information on the results and award next week."

The Tri-Cities will operate the warming center from November 2023 through March 2024. A third party is needed to manage the center when it opens for unhoused people in cold weather.

SOS Recovery operated the center in winter 2022-23, and the previous operator was Community Action Partners of Strafford County.

The second bid from Karlee’s Home Team & New England Cavalry represents a collaboration of a new 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Karlee's Home Team, and one already established, New England Cavalry.

One of the principals of Karlee's Home Team is Rochester City Councilor Amy Malone. She has long worked in the area of unhoused populations, most recently for Waypoint.

"I always did the shelter management for Waypoint," said Malone "Myself and some of the Sober Living group people wanted to step up when we heard there might not be a group to operate the shelter this winter. The name Karlee's is to honor a Rochester girl, 11, who passed away from Leukemia."

Malone said she has always had a "big heart" for the homeless population.

"So we talked and decided to start a nonprofit," said Malone. "We have been looking at transitional living, which is hard with the zoning regulations and stuff. SOS did a good job at Willand last year and when we found out, we felt maybe this is our way to be able to do something about this."

Malone said they already have commitments from about 15 people, volunteers and board members. She said all of them have experience working in the field.

Kevin Corbin is the executive director of the New England Cavalry, a sports-based group. He said he works on the mobile crisis team with Malone and wanted to be involved.

Also instrumental is Dillon Guyer, owner of Guyer Travel. He said a big part of his business is about giving back.

"This is a passion project for us," said Guyer, a Rochester native. "We have donated over a half million in the past ten years. This is about helping the community and I think we are up for the challenge."

The key distinction between seasonal warming centers and year-round shelters is the emphasis on protecting individuals from life-threatening extreme weather conditions. Other shelters in Strafford County, such as My Friend's Place in Dover and the Homeless Center for Strafford County in Rochester, operate year-round and have different missions than the Willand Warming Center, which prioritizes harm reduction-oriented approaches with minimal barriers to access. These differences may include variances in intake processes, background checks, alcohol and drug testing, among other variables.

The Willand warming center provides temporary overnight protection at the direction of the Tri-Cities’ emergency management directors when extreme winter weather is predicted to pose a significant threat to life safety for unsheltered residents. The emergency managers will collaboratively determine when the warming center opens, giving a minimum of 24 hours' notice, basing the decision on a set of pre-determined weather conditions, including temperature, windchill and precipitation.

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This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Willand Warming Center in New Hampshire attracts two local bidders