Erica Norton, chief operating officer for The Mindful Healing Center, which is operating the Middletown warming center, said staff found Jeffreys in a bathroom stall. She said paramedics administered Narcan, but Jeffreys didn’t respond. He was transported from the warming center to Atrium, she said.
No needles were found on or near Jeffreys, but a prescription bottle was located, she said.
The warming center is located at 1009 Grove St. and opened in late January and is expected to operate through the end of April, according to the contract with the city.
In January, Middletown City Council unanimously approved spending up to $95,000 to provide a warming center for three months to the city’s homeless.
Norton said the warming center operates from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. seven days a week. That means the cost of operating the center will be about $1,000 a day.
The total cost of the Grove location will be fully covered by the city’s special American Rescue Plan Act allocation of approximately $1.3 million that must be used to house the homeless or those in imminent threat of being homeless, according to city officials.
The center is averaging about 25 to 30 residents a night, Norton said.
Police Chief David Birk said when officers find someone sleeping outside, they transport them to the warming center.
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