Increased need in Danville prompts Homeless Shelter change

By Bernard Baker
Danville Register & Bee
Published: April 24, 2008

The Homeless Shelter is trying to make it easier for people to have a safe place to sleep.

Homeless people no longer need to go through the Danville Police Department if they arrive at the shelter from 5 to 7 p.m., shelter director Cindy Hill said Wednesday.

Anyone who shows up after 7 p.m. must still go through the police department, she said.

“We have been getting an increased number of emergency overnight needs,” Hill said. “Due to this, we have decided to change the policy just a bit.”

The shelter director said that while the winter was relatively mild, there was no shortage of people who need a place to stay. She said she consistently had 10 to 15 people at night staying at the shelter on Claiborne Street.

“I have had a busy winter,” Hill said.

She said local homeless people tend to be single men with a drug or alcohol problem.

Homeless people in Danville have been found on the street or in abandoned buildings, but the shelter does not allow anyone under the influence of drugs or alcohol inside.

Providing shelter for the homeless means high utility bills among other costs. Hill said the shelter has a $1,000 bill due Friday and she is praying that the money will arrive.

Shelter donations are running about $10,000 behind schedule because of the sluggish economy, she said.

Hill said she hopes city leaders will address the homeless situation in Danville, which is often related to the inability to find work.

The Homeless Shelter accepts men, women and children, but minor children must be accompanied by a parent.

Lt. John Henderson, police spokesman, said the earlier the shelter is open the safer it will be for homeless people on the street. He said officers sent people to the shelter for help at least once a week when he worked in the patrol division.

Contact Bernard Baker at or (434) 791-7986.