By Cindy Schroeder
The Cincinnati Enquirer

COVINGTON - Northern Kentucky's only cold-weather emergency shelter will tentatively open next Monday, but that won't be soon enough for Cole Worthington.

Worthington, an out-of-work welder who described himself as "40 going on 110," sleeps outside on two thin blankets and a piece of cardboard.

"They'll have that shelter filled the first day it's open," Worthington said as he ate lunch with an acquaintance Monday at The Parish Kitchen in Covington.

Funding through January

The 33-bed cold shelter on Covington's east side operated at or near capacity last winter when temperatures dipped below freezing. With the help of $10,000 raised at a Dec. 11 fund-raiser, the Rev. Joseph Andino hopes to operate the shelter next to his Elohim Christian Center at 1205 Maryland Ave. through January.

The cold shelter is open to people who are homeless, stranded or whose utilities have gone out in freezing weather.

Supporters plan to schedule another fund-raising event in January to raise $15,000 to keep the shelter operating through March.

Thanks to the donation of a three-compartment sink with a grease trap and double drain board. and the services of a master plumber, the shelter will be able to serve hot soups and chili this winter, Andino said.

Advocates for the homeless say the shelter fills an important need in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties. Northern Kentucky's only year-round shelters are Welcome House and Fairhaven Rescue Mission, both in Covington. Each is usually full and is limited in whom it can accept.

"It's especially important in the cold weather months to have a place to go to get off the streets," said Jennifer Shofner, chair of the Northern Kentucky Housing and Homeless Coalition.

Settlement with homeless

Earlier this month, the city of Covington agreed to pay $1,000 apiece to five men who lived on the Ohio riverbank, as part of a settlement of a federal lawsuit after city workers razed their makeshift shelters in April 2002. The City Commission later enacted a law banning camping in Covington parks and along the city's riverfront.

When Fairhaven Rescue Mission is full, it provides bus vouchers to transients to available beds at the Drop-Inn Center in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood or at the City Gospel Mission in Westwood, said Sandra Hammers, Fairhaven's director of operations.

Bill Pryce, a 28-year-old who's looked for work in Northern Kentucky for about a year, camps in a wooded area year-round, but stays with friends when it's really cold.

"I stayed at the cold shelter twice last year," Pryce said. "The first time was during an ice storm. It's something I'd definitely use."

How to help

Donations: Monetary donations can be sent to the Cold Shelter, 1205 Maryland Ave., Covington, KY 41011.

Items needed: Nonperishable foods, such as canned goods; personal care items; paper products, including plates; knives, forks and spoons; and hats, gloves and socks.

Information: (859) 291-0600

Other shelters

Northern Kentucky: Welcome House, 205 Pike St., Covington, has 26 beds for women and children; and Fairhaven Rescue Mission, 260 Pike St., Covington, has 24 beds for men. Fairhaven Rescue Mission lets men stay seven nights out of 60, but they must have a photo ID and submit to a Breathalyzer test.

Cincinnati: Shelters include the Drop-Inn Center, 217 W. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine, which serves single adults. It has 200 beds for men and 50 for women. City Gospel Mission, 1419 Elm St., has 36 beds for men. Bethany House, 1836 Fairmount Ave., Westwood, houses up to 20 single women and women and children.

Information: Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless: (513) 421-2701

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E-mail cschroeder@enquirer.com