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Overnight Shelter Accepting Donations

Overnight shelter staff receive training on Narcan use and resources available to people in the community.
Photo from the Salvation Army of Galesburg Facebook
Overnight shelter staff receive training on Narcan use and resources available to people in the community.

An overnight shelter in Galesburg opened this month to give homeless individuals a safe and warm place to sleep.

Derek Antoine, executive director of the Knox County Housing Authority, says the Galesburg Overnight Shelter is accepting donations for many different needs.

"We try to provide a meal every night, and I think we do. We've got a number of community partners that committed to donating a meal once a week. Hygiene items like soap, shampoo, body wash. Clothing items that would be cold weather related, hats, gloves, coats."

A donation from the Knox County Mental Health Board will help the shelter operate until April 30th, a month longer than originally planned. But, Antoine says if they get more money, they'll stay open longer.

"Last year once the shelter closed, the only option that was really available to these folks were, the Salvation Army worked to provide everybody a tent. So, if we have an opportunity from a funding perspective to extend the shelter past that, we would certainlyl ook to do that."

The Knox County Housing Authority and the Salvation Army partnered up to manage the shelter. It's located at 525 Iowa Court, in a building previously used by Head Start.