It happened New Year’s Eve. A call came in on Third Level’s crisis line in Traverse City from a woman looking for a warm place to sleep. She and her two children had spent all day in a van in single-digit temperatures and were very cold. She was worried they were going to freeze to death.

Problem was, on this particular night the Goodwill Inn was full, the Safe Harbor program at local churches doesn’t allow children and Pete’s Place, a shelter for youth, doesn’t take kids under the age of 14.

What saved this family that bitter cold night was a voucher to stay in a room at a local motel – at a time of year when many hotel and motel rooms sit empty and when the weather poses an additional challenge to those with no stable, safe place to stay.

This voucher program for short-term stays is “a last resort” for people – typically families – who are homeless or at risk of being homeless, says Billie Hedglen, who runs the Housing Assessment and Resource Agency through the Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency.

There are currently three local motels/hotels – the Sleep Inn and Crestwood Motel in Acme and the Econo Lodge in Traverse City – that have made some of their rooms available for people needing emergency shelter. Hedglen says she could use a few more, particularly in the outlying areas around Traverse City.

Kathy Kelly of the Sleep Inn says a family of five stayed a few nights recently and while on the phone with The Ticker for this story she took a couple of calls about room availability for people needing immediate shelter.

“The face of homelessness has changed,” says Kelly. “Families are now finding themselves in this situation.”

She would like to see more of her lodging peers get involved in the program for the winter months. She adds that Doug Dornbos of Cherry Capital Cab has also offered to assist with transportation for getting these people to a warm room for the night.

The lodging is not free. The room rates are set by the property, Hedglen says, and paid for through the Department of Human Services. Kelly says the Sleep Inn gets $50 a night for a room.

Because emergency situations often happen after hours – whether in the middle of the night or on weekends – the Goodwill Inn is authorized to grant vouchers and then Hedglen is in contact with the individuals the next business day.

“We don’t put them in a motel and walk away,” she says. “The stay is short term (up to five days) and I’m responsible for them.”

Part of that responsibility is designing a long-term housing plan and connecting these families with other resources. “They do have to stay in contact and work with me.”

Area hotels and motels interested in being on the list for emergency lodging can contact Hedglen at the Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency, 947.3780. All that is required is submission of a W-9 tax form.

To read about other efforts to assist those in the local community with shelter and other crises, click here.