POCATELLO — The First Congregational United Church of Christ has opened its warming shelter called "The Refuge" for the second year in a row.

Starr Reardon, pastor of the church, said the shelter is open every night from 7 p.m. until morning. It will be open from November to March.

"Everyone is welcome," she said.

Reardon said the reason the church decided to open a warming shelter is that they felt Pocatello needed one.

"We need to have places where people can come and have a place where they can warm up," she said.

Reardon said that a warming shelter is different from a homeless shelter because people don't live in a warming shelter. There aren't any shower or laundry facilities.

People who come to the warming shelter are usually placed at the local homeless shelter, Aid for Friends, at a later date.

"We're just a first step to getting them to a long term shelter," she said.

They are also not considered a sleeping shelter, although Reardon said that sometimes people do fall asleep.

"Some people stay all night," she said. "I don't wake them up."

Reardon said they provide jackets, hats, gloves and a sack lunch to people who stayed in the shelter. They also have coffee, hot chocolate and tea.

"We provide food they can make in a microwave," she said. "Sometimes we'll have sausage sticks. Anything they can unwrap and eat we have."

Reardon said the shelter has recovery meetings every night. There are also movie nights and Bible study meetings. She said these are all optional and no one is required to attend.

"We're glad people are here warming up," she said. "They don't have to participate in church activities. A lot of them do."

Reardon said the shelter is open and affirming. She promised that anyone who stays there will be safe and that there will be no harassment.

"This is just a safe place where you can get through the night," she said. "Too many lives have been lost to the cold."

Reardon said the church is looking for people to partner with them to help keep the shelter open. She said they would need to donate $100 a month to help them pay their bills.

"We need help for those kinds of things," she said. "No one has to pay a huge bill."

The First Congregational United Church of Christ is located at 309 N. Garfield Ave. It is behind Pocatello High School. More information about the church and the shelter can be found at uccpocatello.org.