Homeless shelters at full capacity

As frigid temperatures across Eastern Idaho continue to drop below freezing, some shelters are running out of available beds.

The Haven Temporary Shelter in Idaho Falls has been a refuge for woman and their children for 27 years. They are a nonprofit organization that is funded through grants, the Eastern Idaho Community Action Partnership and from community donations.

They are over capacity. They have 23 rooms and have 29 families living in them currently. Anne Johnson, Haven Shelter manager, said the facility has a waiting list.

Volunteers and employees help woman with life skills such as getting a GED. “People have to work hard to get back on their feet. But they get such a sense of satisfaction after they do that,” Johnson said.

Woman and their children can stay at the shelter for eight to 12 months.

Meashia Johnson, 21, who is no relation to Anne Johnson, wrote to the Haven manager while she was serving time in prison. She had been homeless, sleeping in a park and under a bridge and said she’s thankful the shelter took her in.

“I was really addicted to meth and I did four months in jail. I actually wrote Anne while I was in jail to see if I could come stay here,” Meashia Johnson said. “I was at a point of no return I was lost and broken. I didn’t know who I was at all.”

She said her life has changed since living at the shelter. “Now that I’ve been here, I found who I am. I found my smile my laugh. I found what life’s really about.”

According to Anne Johnson, many homeless women who have children will live in their cars year around but that becomes harder during the harsh winters. “Moms with their kids hide because they don’t want their kids taken. They are afraid that if someone finds out their circumstances their children will be taken.”

“We’ve had people here that were on the streets for like four years and this is the first place they’ve had a home.”

To be put on the waiting list at The Haven email thehaven@eicap.org or call (208) 523-6413.