Fewer Hours, More Need

By Rosette Royale, Staff Reporter

Located on Third Ave., between Virginia and Lenora Sts., the FASC could be counted on for opening its doors at 8 a.m. and shutting them at 8:30 p.m. But beginning Sun., Feb. 3, its daily hours of operation will span from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The new hours will hold into the foreseeable future.

“To keep the services we have, [cutting hours] proved to be our best option,” says Kim Sather, manager for emergency services at the Compass Center, which runs the FASC.

Sather says that, on average, 250 people step through the center’s doors each day, partaking in the two meals offered daily, as well as showers, and laundry, messaging, and payee services. The number of people seen represents a marked increase from 2006, when the center assisted roughly 160 people a day.

Nearly 95 percent of the visitors are men, she says, and the majority of them have indicated to staff that they are not staying in shelters, but sleeping outside. “So we’re the place for people who don’t have shelter,” she says.

In the end, the reduction of hours comes down to money.

The Adult Services Program relies on funds from private individuals and institutions to cover its $375,000 operating budget. Last year, when the Compass Center took over, Sather says it entered into discussions with the City to receive funding, but it received no municipal funding for its 2008 budget.

For the 2009 budget, Sather says the center is taking an “advocate and wait” approach, where it will continue to court private funding sources, as well as continuing a dialogue with the city and also looking into other governmental dollars.

In the meantime, she says the FASC prepares for the shift. Recently, the center experienced a plumbing emergency that caused it to open later than expected. That experience, says Sather, showed how the center’s visitors will be affected. Of the reduced hours and their potential impact, she says, “It’s heartbreaking.”