These good samaritans try to help people who spend nights on Western Mass. streets

The Rev. Gregory S. Dyson recounts the words of a homeless person in a situation he has seen more than once: “I have a job. I no longer have a place to live. I have a car but no insurance. I sleep in the car.”

That person’s long winter’s night is then spent turning the car engine on and off to keep the heater going, says Dyson, pastor of Church in the Acres in Springfield and part a group who each week spend nights on the streets, seeking out and trying to help the homeless in Greater Springfield.

“We have met,” Dyson said, “very caring, upstanding people who just don’t have.”

With the winter’s bone-chilling cold, some of the homeless are not only looking for shelter at night but also warm places during the daylight hours. And, some spots are getting plenty of foot traffic.

Friends of the Homeless in Springfield has a day center at 501 Worthington St. that can accommodate 25 to 30 people at a time. There is a bathroom, laundry services, a telephone to use, but the cramped space is the major reason the organization is building a new resource center.

“It’s a room with a bunch of metal chairs and a TV in it,” said Kathy Tobin, director of development for the organization. She added: “It’s elbow to elbow. It’s tiny.”

Tobin said donations are needed for the $12.5 million homeless resource center for which ground was broken in November, culminating years of planning and fund-raising efforts. “Whatever we raise goes to it,” she said.

The dining room at the shelter at 769 Worthington St. is also kept open if it snows or the temperature plunges, Tobin said.

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